It’s December, which according to corporate calendars means 2023 has long been over. The Best-Of lists must be released now in order to maximize profits by end of year.Â
I don’t know what this newsletter is or why it exists*, but I wanted to make this list of books I read this year. I could keep it as a google doc to reference in ten years or something and reminisce on how smart and well-read I was/am, but why not broadcast that to my millions of subscribers instead?Â
It’s the holiday season and buying a book for someone is always a good idea (which reminds me of the real reason this newsletter exists, which reminds me to remind you to buy my book - side note, if you want me to sign a bookplate and send it to you, just email me wthagle@gmail.com).
Maybe this list will lead you to get someone a good present or to check out one of the titles yourself and feel real smart and well-read. For the record, I also started but did not finish approximately 3912039 books.
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki MurakamiÂ
Started 2023 finishing my late-blooming Murakami phase. I also like After Dark (takes place in a Denny’s) and Novelist as a Vocation (interesting and inspirational insight into his mind and approach to writing). But this feels like the one to read. It’s insane and great and messed up and Colonel Sanders is a character.Â
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Read it in a day and barely remember anything that happens, but still highly recommend. Read a few pages of her newer book Earthlings and couldn’t get into it. I’ve seen this pop up on some other must-read lists and I must concur. Idk why, just read it.
The Sense of Wonder by Matthew SalessesÂ
Picked this up off the new release shelf at Barnes & Noble because the cover had a cool design. Ended up re-reading it to write a review for LA Review of Books about how it uses the K-pop form to subvert narrative expectations. Also partially read Salesses’ Craft in the Real World which is mostly interesting for creative writing students or teachers, but posits a lot of worthwhile ideas about workshops. This book is loosely based on the story of Linsanity but it’s also so much more than that.
Himself by Jess KiddÂ
Got this Irish book in preparation of traveling to Dublin for an event for my 33 ⅓ book on Madvillainy. Without that context I might not have powered through, but I enjoyed reading about Irish ghosts while hurtling through the countryside on a train to the west coast. If folklore or historical Irish fiction tickles your fancy, you better read this.
How Golf Can Save Your Life by Drew MillardÂ
I met Drew Millard once or twice in LA when he lived here, as he is part of the extended Passion of the Weiss universe. I always admired his writing on Noisey and other internet publications, and he was a great editor for a piece I wrote on competitive dog Nosework for the now-defunct The Outline. I’ve never golfed, and pride myself on never having golfed. I don’t care about golf at all. I do like Drew Millard’s writing, though, and I loved reading this. IT’S A MUST BUY THIS SEASON FOR ANY GOLF FAN IN YOUR LIFE! USE MY PROMO CODE!Â
Son of the City by Dante Ross
Dante Ross is a legend whom I’ve had the privilege of speaking with on a couple occasions over the past couple years. First off he gave a great interview for the Madvillainy book about working with DOOM back when he went as Zev Love X, when as A&R exec he signed KMD to Elektra Records. There are plenty of DOOM stories in this book, as well as stories about other artists like De La Soul, Pete Rock, ODB, Busta Rhymes, Queen Latifah, and more. The book is also a personal reflection on Dante’s upbringing and his complicated relationship with his father. The second time I talked to him was for this interview on Passion of the Weiss, where we talked about Fishbone and The Cool Kids and other stuff. I also had the privilege of editing video for his season of Open Mike Eagle’s What Had Happened Was, which is a great alternative to this book for people who don’t read books. Dante Ross is an all-around great guy whose writing chops are as good as his ear for talent.
Shy by Max PorterÂ
I bought this book at a shop in Cork, Ireland on a rainy day. The reason I bought it was because it was signed, and the opening chapter had some poetic lines about smoking spliffs and listening to jungle. It’s not an easy read by any means but it is short. It’s one of the best representations of music in writing I’ve seen since Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto. When I had the privilege of being a guest bookseller at Exile in Bookville in Chicago this November alongside author-to-be-discussed John Milas, I chose this title as one of the ones I recommended. I think one or two people bought it, and they’re better off for doing so. Essentially it’s about the day in the life of a troubled teen. Max Porter is the kind of writer who pisses me off because he’s so poetic while still weaving together a tense and captivating story.Â
The Militia House by John MilasÂ
I went to high school with John Milas and was on the track team with him. Even though he was a couple years older, and his sister was in my grade, I remember talking to him back then about creative writing. He seemed to be the only other person interested in it. John went to the Marines after high school and went on to get his MFA at Purdue. This novel came out of his thesis project there. Even if I didn’t know him, I would say this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long while. It’s a modern war story with psychological thriller / horror elements that are as creepy as the movies I binged this October (like it or not, Movies I Watched 2023 post coming soon). I’m really proud of John’s success but I genuinely just think this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long while.Â
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
I read this book while in the hospital awaiting the birth of my son and in the wild days after he was born, holding him while sleeping and reading. The whole time I was reading it I thought it was a contemporary novel. Afterwards I looked it up and it came out in the early 90s. Incredible. It’s a work of speculative, dystopian fiction but the core of the story is the emotional arc of the characters and their relationships with each other. The perfect type of book for me. Hopefully I don’t forget it.Â
The Fifth Season by N.K. JemisinÂ
I forced myself to finish this one but really appreciated the world-building N.K. Jemisin does. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before. This is the first in a trilogy and this book didn’t inspire me to keep reading. Harder fantasy/sci-fi is just not my style. I like Memory Police type speculative instead. This is pretty much one of the most popular books of its genre though so I don’t think me saying that is going to hurt anything. If you’re into this type of thing but haven’t read this yet, you’re gonna like it and probably read all three.Â
The Novelist by Jordan CastroÂ
This book was exactly what I needed to read. It’s about a writer who’s working on their novel one morning but keeps getting distracted by Twitter. It might be immediately outdated by referencing a name of a platform that no longer exists, but it definitely remains relevant for me. It’s also super funny and fast-paced and short. If you don’t like writing about writing you might not like it. I actually realized I really like writing about writing, probably because I’m a writer who also struggles to write about anything besides writing. But I feel like I wouldn’t want to write about writing because there are too many books about writing and does anyone besides writers really like those books? Apparently they do so maybe I should give it a shot. But enough about me, go read The Novelist.
Erasure by Percival EverettÂ
This was one of the books that John Milas was slinging when we went up from Champaign to Chicago for the Exile in Bookville event. I am glad that I took it home. I honestly wasn’t familiar with Percival Everett, but John and Exile’s owner Javier had nothing but good things to say about all of his work. Apparently one of his novels even was printed in three different versions, with three different endings, which caused much confusion at book clubs. This particular book is part social satire and part emotional family drama. It’s funny and heartfelt and an instant all-time classic. It’s also been made into the new movie American Fiction. I’m not sure if that movie’s any good, but it seems to be getting good reviews. The book feels unadaptable, though. So even if you watch the movie, it’s gotta be worth reading the book. So good.
Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
I met Gabriela Garcia via John Milas at the Rose Bowl Tavern in Urbana, IL, where my friend Sam’s band was performing bluegrass-ish music. I had seen her book, a NYTimes Bestseller, at book stores and been captivated by its cover. I was delighted to learn someone of her caliber is living in C-U and teaching there. I came down with a cold shortly after buying and read this book in two fever-ridden days. Loved it. It jumps through time and tells smaller stories from the perspectives of multiple narrators in Miami, Cuba, and Mexico. Each could be a great standalone short story in its own right, but they all add up to a great overarching narrative. Big recommend.
The Idiot by Elif BatumanÂ
This is another cover that’s intrigued me in book stores for a while. I had some friends who read it and loved it. I finally bought it. Read about a third of it, then put it down. The writing was good and funny but I had trouble latching onto the plot, or intentional lackthereof. Then I randomly found the book on my bedside and started reading it again and got hooked on the tension between the narrator and the guy she has a crush on. Then I realized that Batuman is maybe playing with that tension and subverting audience expectations like Salesses, but in a different way. By the end, I greatly enjoyed the book and believe it’s worth reading. Whether or not I’ll read the sequel, Either/Or, remains to be seen. But I’m planning on it.Â
*gonna start posting artist interviews here soon, i swear.