Truth be told, 2018 has not been a good reading year for me. Not that I haven’t read great books and attended some memorable readings and book events, but my normal reading tempo has been impeded by vision problems. Not to dwell on it too much, but my vision deteriorated in an alarmingly short period of time. For a time, I didn’t know if that change would be permanent. If it was, I knew I had to accept changing how I read and would have to adapt accordingly. Other readers read in other ways, and I could too if I had to. As it turns out, surgery and support from excellent professionals means I’ll be able to continue casting my gaze on the printed page, my preferred way of reading. I’m grateful I have that option, and have heightened respect for those who come to the written word with patience and resourcefulness in other ways.
Because I was tussling just to read, I didn’t write about my reading much this year – except, as you may have noticed, about our beloved silent book club. Still, I did my best to share a few thoughts on my reading as I went along, and managed to put up some snippets on Goodreads, Twitter and even Instagram. Sometimes those wee comments sparked a bit of conversation with fellow readers, which was nice and some continued reassurance that not all of social media is a relentless dumpster fire.
For what they’re worth, here are a few good words about a few good books …
- Stranger, by David Bergen
- Cat’s Eye, by Margaret Atwood … here too
- Quantum Typography, by Gary Barwin
- The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
- Still Life, by Louise Penny
- Loop of Jade, by Sarah Howe
- Wisdom in Nonsense – Invaluable Lessons from My Father, by Heather O’Neill
- Studio Saint-Ex, by Ania Szado
- This is How You Lose Her, by Junot Diaz
- Antigone Undone, by Will Aitken
- French Exit, by Patrick deWitt
- I have to live. by Aisha Sasha John
- A Death in the Family, by Karl Ove Knausgaard
- Kudos, by Rachel Cusk
- The Bleeds, by Dimitri Nasrallah
- Dreampad, by Jeff Latosik
- On Not Losing My Father’s Ashes in the Flood, by Richard Harrison
- Deer Life – A Fairy Tale, by Ron Sexsmith
- The Outlaw Album, by Daniel Woodrell
- Heartbreaker, by Claudia Dey
- Beartown, by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith
- Transcription, by Kate Atkinson
- God of Shadows, by Lorna Crozier
- Zolitude, by Paige Cooper