Books I Read in 2023

2024-03-08Books

I find it hard to rationalise why I (among many others) see reading fiction as a more virtuous past-time compared to, say, watching YouTube. Yet, here I am, reading dozens of books each year. Some of it is explained by my enjoyment, but there is also this sense in which I find reading more edifying than other activities in some way. This is common — people want to be "someone who reads" — but I don't know of any satisfying reasons why this is the case.

Reading was (and potentially still is) an easy way to flaunt your education and class, but I think there is more to the picture in the modern day. More people are literate, and books are easier to access (I am a big proponent of visiting your local library). There might be a case that written material is "better" in some way than other mediums; however, I've never seen a convincing explanation of why this is true.

Regardless, I still aim to keep up my reading. This year I read just 36 books, a decrease from last year's 50, and not quite close enough to the book-a-week target as I would like. I'm not too worried; I got through a decent chunk of my reading list and had a lot on my plate already. This year I'm planning on getting hooked on the Discworld series again, partially because I just have good memories of Pratchett's wit and partially to "make number bigger". Anyway, that's enough yapping about myself; here are the books I found best (roughly in order). You can also check out all the books I read this year on my Goodreads.

The Best of Greg Egan by Greg Egan

Last year I was introduced to Greg Egan's work (and the genre of hard scifi) by a friend of mine, Will Barnett. It's safe to say that Egan's work has captivated me, and the short stories that fill this 700-page tomb don't fall short. I had previously read Permutation City and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the consequences of a single idea fleshed out with the accuracy and attention to detail that defines this genre.

If anything, the shorter medium allows for a larger diversity of inventive and provocative ideas, with each story still having sufficient depth to explore the resulting consequences. Each one lets you explore a new possibility, from how criminals might use extensive genetic engineering tools, to consciousness materialising within the side characters of digital worlds. With such intense scientific (and sometimes mathematical or philosphic) justification, you might expect somewhat shallow characters and sloppy writing, but Egan is engaging. This book (and the genre in general) seem to scratch a very particular itch of mine; it's maybe not for everyone, but a great introduction to the genre of hard scifi.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

A classic that is well worth your time. The book feels so perfectly planned and interconnected, with foreshadowing and references linking every page. The style of Vonnegut is always a joy to read and the absurdity and comic relief mixed with the tragedy of war are very effective. The anti-war message is not obnoxiously overemphasised, but is definitely prevalent throughout. It was an enjoyable read and one that I will probably think of often into the future.

Mort by Terry Pratchett

I have very fond memories of reading the Discworld series when I was an early teen, but I was slightly disappointed when I reread the initial few books earlier this year. I was worried that my rosetinted nostagia was misplaced or that I had changed taste, but after reading Mort I was relieved to recall how much happiness Pratchett can bring (to be fair, Mort's predecessor, Equal Rites, was also pretty good, but Mort was just so intensely amazing). Pratchett is witty, playful and captivating; the characters are compelling (especially the antropomorphism that is Death); what more could you want? A fun light read that has motivated me to read the rest of the series again.

Stoner by John Williams

A profoundly sad and depressing book in a way that is not just heart-wrenching, but has deeply sewn a seed into my consciousness. This is a tale of nothing but the ordinary; however, the characters typical life-long struggles feel so genuine. I might be biased, relating to Stoner in his aims for becoming an academic without any extrodinary insight, but this is one of the most moving books I have read. The writing style is simplistic yet thoughtful. The worst thing about this book was the foreword, which spoiled the plot. I wonder how good this book would have been without it.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

This classic is often compared with Orwell's 1984, with both predicting contrasting distopian modern societies. I read 1984 last year and Brave New World this year, and I'm of the opinion that Huxley was a better predictor of how the social landscape would transform. Obviously, we are not living in a dystopia and some of the social commentary feels very dated (and cringe-worthy), but overall, the clear stratification and extremification of beliefs seems to be how history has unfolded. I do want to note that Orwell definitely got some key ideas right, particularly surrounding "doublethink," but Huxley just seems to have predicted the methods by which society would be transformed more accurately.

Isaac Beh