The books I read this year, and which ones are must-reads for you.

I’ve yammered enough in my last few blogs. So, without further ado, here’s the books I read in 2023. Which ones most strike your fancy?

1. Both/And (Huma Abedin, 2021) — A longtime confidant of Hilary Clinton, Abedin spills the tea about her marriage to Anthony Weiner. I like the earlier chapters best, about how Abedin grew up in an intellectual family, straddling life between the global north and south.
2. Minor Feelings (Cathy Park Hong, 2020)
3. Red Comet (Heather Clark, 2020) — A surprisingly edifying read about Sylvia Plath, one of the most prolific writers and (proto) feminists of the 20th century. My only caveat is the book could have been shorter.
4. The Wake Up (Catherine Ryan Hyde, 2017)
5. Justice for Some (Noura Erakat, 2019) — This is a must-read if you’re looking to better understand the Palestinian side of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Erakat argues that, after making some headway in advancing Palestinian rights in the 1970s, the PLO unwittingly enabled Israel to impose an Apartheid-like reality after the Oslo peace process.
6. Cuba (Ada Ferrer, 2021) — This history covers colonialism, slavery, democracy, and communism on an island-nation that’s inextricably bound to the United States. You’ll learn about much more than Fidel Castro.
7. Everything for Everyone (M.E. O’Brien, 2022)
8. Disability Visibility (Alice Wong (Ed.), 2020) — A first of its kind anthology of essays from folks who live with disabilities in modern society. I can’t wait to read Wong’s memoir, and a forthcoming sequel about disability intimacy.
9. Boom Town (Sam Anderson, 2018)
10. Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (Lisa See, 2023) — There’s few historical novels I don’t like. But Lisa See is fast becoming one of my go-to novelists, writing about characters who you’ll genuinely care about from first page to last.
11. Five Little Indians (Michelle Good, 2020) — This fictionalized account depicts the trauma and abuse perpetrated against indigenous children by boarding schools in mid-20th century Canada.
12. The Art of Living (Thich Nhat Hahn, 2017) — Thich Nhat Hahn unpacks the tenets of Vietnamese Buddhism, and how they matter for daily living. Another author I’ve added to my watchlist.
13. Wilmington’s Lie (David Zucchino, 2020) — Did you know Wilmington used to be the largest city in North Carolina and an exemplar of mixed-race community? That’s how it was until 1898, when White Supremacists launched a coup against the city’s pluralist government and black middle-class.
14. Crying in H Mart (Michelle Zauner, 2021) — In something of a half-memoir, half-eulogy, Zauner recounts her tumultuous relationship with her mom. This book blends emotions, tastes, smells, and memories, to convey what it means to grow up, love, and mourn.
15. Outlive (Peter Attia, 2022) — I love this (mostly) common sense self-help book about how to grow old and live well. It turns out the secret to longevity is eating nutritiously, exercising plenty, sleeping soundly, and taking good care of your emotional health.
16. Scenes from My Life (Michael K. Williams, 2022)