Blog vol 4.29. A Year of Books 2023.
Looking back on 2023 (it’s that time of year, again), lots of lists of most important events, lists of sports highlights, lists of best films, etc., etc. I’m joining the listing throng with five of my favourite reads from 2023. In December, 2022, I shared a year-end review of books, had a lot of fun doing it, and decided to do it again.
My optometrist-self wants us all to remember what a wonderful gift sight is and, when you can, the gift of leisurely sitting down with a well written and designed book. Enjoy!
Some good reads from 2023:
Mysteries: found a great “new” author!
I discovered Anthony Horowitz for adults this year. My kids, a while back, were into Alex Rider, a teenage spy who works with MI6, a character created by Horowitz, an author of YA novels. Pleasant surprises abound! I stumbled upon Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz this year, not a YA book, in which we meet Susan Ryeland, a copy editor, who stumbles on a death which (oops!) turns out to be a murder. Horowitz does a great job with twists and turns and his ability to weave stories together is unparalleled. Not too many details on this one, a real good jaunt and page turner. He has also written a series of Murder Mysteries in a more modern setting with Horowitz himself as an integral part of the story, very interesting. The detective in these is Inspector Daniel Hawthorne.
History: a combination of history and sport, hard to go wrong.
When my wife got The Boys in the Boat out of the library, it was only a book, now it is also a motion picture. It is a biographical account of Joe Rantz, part of the eight-man boat that rows for the USA in the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games. The author, Daniel James Brown, does a masterful job of writing about the boat, the team, and the hard work and the drama leading up to Berlin. I especially appreciate the Zen feel with George Pocock’s contribution to their boat design and his sage wisdom. This crew had an incredible culture of team work. The Boys from Washington were truly in the Zone when they were at their best and, in spite of incredible odds and the political pressure cooker in prewar Germany, they prevail. No spoiler alert here, read the history. The Germans documented on film most of the Games; the Third Reich’s propaganda machine was fully operational. I work out on a Concept2 rowing machine and was inspired, not a bad thing.
Science Fiction: an author we should be hearing more about.
I mentioned Tarkovsky’s incredible movie, Solaris, in a previous blog. The film is based on the book, Solaris, by Stanisław Lem, a Polish writer of Sci-Fi and many essays. We in the West are not that familiar with Lem, but we should be. I read The Truth and Other Stories, which is a collection of shorter stories put out in a new edition by MIT Press. A shout out to all the publishers that go out of their way to get wonderful books and editions into our hands. I also got for Christmas two more newer MIT editions by Lem. What I like best about his writing is his refreshing perspective. He is not totally taken with technology. Seeing the double-edged reality of anything new, he puts a lot of hubris into his tales of aliens and has a very realistic, somewhat cynical view of humans and their endeavours. Again, refreshing, different from the usual Sci-fi stuff.
C.S. Lewis: a C.S. Lewis summer, thoughtful reading.
This was a tough one to pick. I had a C.S. Lewis summer, pretty much most of his writing. I know it sounds like a lot of flexing, but it really happened, and I actually retained and understood much of it. Which book to highlight? The most challenging. Till We Have Faces-A Myth Retold I had read before, but I was encouraged by Peter Kreeft, who teaches philosophy at Boston College, to try it again. He claims that he did not fully understand this book until after his 10th reading and, my goodness, if a philosophy professor needs ten readings... He did give me the key. The story is a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, with Orual, the Queen, being jealous of her beautiful sister Psyche. Her sister is sacrificed to the gods. Orual cannot accept the reality of this act until the very end when she realizes Psyche’s and her place with God. I am starting to get it, but it does beg another reading. Beautifully written, much to plumb here.
Real Life: best book of the year, easy.
This book, How to Stay Married, by Harrison Scott Key, is a must read for everyone. My wife read it and then handed to me, and I had to read it fast because it was a library book and there was a long line of people wanting our copy. The author is very funny about a very serious topic, marital love and infidelity. This is a real life story which does not have to end well and may still have some major “speed bumps” because it is still being lived out. It is a transparent, funny, heartbreaking account of his wife’s infidelity and his continuing to decide to not give up on her in his anger and grief and confusion and trying to keep his children sane and laundry and work and pain and what is she doing?? and what to give the kids for their lunches??? and what should he do???? He never badmouths anyone; he accepts blame; he has terrible struggles; he perseveres, so hopeful, one of the most hopeful things I have ever read.
til next year!
The good doctor
