My 2022 in Books
Holy smokes… 2022 was definitely one for the books.
I read A LOT more than I thought I would this year. For some reason, especially as pandemic restrictions eased up, I thought I would spend less time reading and more time out and about. But I ended up reading more, going outside more, and reading outside more. Truly a beautiful combination. And reading 12 books more than my reading goal, (I aimed for 40 and reached 52 [~ 1 book/week]), was possible because the ever iconic medium of AUDIOBOOKS!
Review: Poems from the Edge of Extinction edited by Chris McCabe
And I also wonder, rather gruesomely, how many languages died on the tongues ripped out of speakers’ mouths. I wonder how many people are losing the most intimate way of articulating themselves in the wake of globalized modernity. All of this makes me angry and makes me wish I could scrape English, a language of ultimate hegemony, out of my being. Of course, that would mean I’d lose access to my own native tongue.
Review: Twenty-One Years Young by Amy Dong
It is this appeal to the universal within the stunning rendering of specificity that makes Twenty-One Years Young such an enthralling collection. As Amy Dong is unabashedly vulnerable in her storytelling, I feel safer in embracing my own narratives as I reminisce and lean into my continuing coming of age.
My First Half of 2021 Review Round-Up
It’s hard for me to believe that 2021 is halfway over. It’s bizarre really, but I’m excited. Watching much of the world begin to move again fills me with hope, but I’m cautious. It almost as if we’re all butterflies who’ve just emerged from our chrysalises of collective grief waiting for our wings to dry to then figure out the whole flying thing. Anyway, during these past few months of metamorphosis, reading books has been one of the few things keeping me at least a semblance of sane. My pace of reading has slowed down a bit since picking up on some writing projects, but I’m fortunately still on track to meet my Goodreads goal for the year. 20 books down and 20 to go! I don’t leave reviews for all the books I read and/or listen to, but I’m trying to get into the habit of doing so more often. Reviewing books helps me grow as a reader and a writer and also, it’s a lot of fun! So without further ado, here are the books I’ve reviewed during the first half of 2021…
My Hindsight of 2020 in Reviews
As the queen of puns, all throughout college, I would talk about how my classmates and I all had “2020 vision.” Needless to say, 2020 hasn’t been anything like I had envisioned, but I’ve still gleaned some positive things from it. In the midst of so much not making any sense, I’ve developed a more profound appreciation of books and stories than ever before. I was more intentional in setting aside time to read for fun and documenting my thoughts as narratives unfolded. This was the first year I really leaned into using Goodreads, reveling in book challenges, digital shelves, giveaways, recommendations, and of course, reviews. Here’s a curated list of 10 reviews of books I read in 2020…