1. No One Left to Come Looking for You by Sam Lipsyte
Funny novel set in the East Village of the early ’90s. Could have done without the mention of Trump, however; totally took me out of the story for a few pages.
2. The Big Screen by David Thomson
Decent history of the movies, but I prefer reading Pauline Kael, Susan Sontag, and Roger Ebert, among others.
3. Spider-Man Blue by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
Nice artwork; pedestrian story.
4. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
There were a lot of compelling aspects of this novel and I can see why it’s been so popular, but there are a couple things about it that I strongly disliked.
5. Himawari House by Harmony Becker
This graphic novel about a group of young expats from various countries living in Japan is one of the gentlest, most humane slices of life I’ve read in the last few year.
6. Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross
Trippy artwork; silly story.
7. The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future by Sebastien Mallaby
Informative history of venture capital, but it really lets the industry off the hook for some of its negative effects.
8. Constructing a Nervous System by Margo Jefferson
Loved her previous memoir. This one is good, too.
9. All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
Intense and moving novel.
10. The Method: How the 20th Century Learned to Act by Isaac Butler
Enjoyed this history of method acting, even though it’s still not clear to people exactly what method acting is.
11. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
Some helpful info in this one, but it could have been an email.
12. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
It’s kind of amazing that she now writes novels (good ones!) in Italian.
13. Vintage Contemporaries by Dan Kois
Young people trying to figure out their lives in NYC in the ’90s will always get me.
14. Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles
Don’t remember much about this.
15. My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
First time I’ve read one of her books and it was terrific. (I did get to see her speak once about 10 years ago, which was exciting.)
16. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely
Totally loved this. It has an endearing narrator and a wrenching story about revenge, mercy, and forgiveness. Gorgeous artwork, as well.
17. This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
Okay time travel story.
18. Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley
Insightful essays. Side note: Polley’s movie, Stories We Tell, is a masterpiece.
19. Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels, and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe
He must be one of the best journalists around. These shorter pieces don’t have the cumulative power of something like Say Nothing, but still well worth the time.
20. Asterios Polyp by David Mazzuchelli
This wasn’t totally my thing on an emotional level, but I admired both the concept and execution.
21. I Came All This Way to Meet You by Jami Attenberg
This was fine.
22. Reading in the Dark by Seamus Deane
Short novel about the Troubles. Not bad, but I’m going to (unfairly) compare everything I read about that conflict to the aforementioned Say Nothing.
23. Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You by Lucinda Williams
Very good memoir by the amazing singer and songwriter. Particularly enjoyed reading about her childhood surrounded by writers and artists. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road remains my favorite album of all time (and includes the perfect “Metal Firecracker,” which gives this book its title).
24. Joe Gould’s Secret by Joseph Mitchell
It seems like The New Yorker doesn’t really do things like this anymore.
25. The Last Love Song: A Biography of Joan Didion by Tracy Daugherty
Didion is a legend and this was an excellent biography. Most interesting to read about her intellectual evolution, and it’s also a kind of social history of Southern California. It still tickles me that Harrison Ford was her carpenter.
26. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Patchett is so reliably good.
27. Stardust by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess
Fun modern fairy tale. Lovely illustrations by Vess.
28. The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
There were a lot of loose ends at the end of this book and I didn’t fully understand what was happening, but still pretty good. Planning to read the companion book next year.
29. We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Understandably pessimistic, with some brief moments of celebration. 2024 is going to be incredibly stressful.
30. The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke
Liked the bright, primary colors.
31. Outlive by Peter Attia
This guy’s bro-y-ness gets extremely grating and the book is way too long, but I have taken some of the advice in it.
32. Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber
Apparently this semi-allegorical science fiction novel, originally written in French, was a major sensation in Korea when it came out a couple decades ago, but only the first book in the trilogy has been published in English. I’ll never find out how it ends.
33. Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
I think this was her first novel and it’s very good, if not as expansive as things like Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility.
34. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Excellent, if painful.
35. The Loneliest Americans by Jay Caspian Kang
Excellent, if painful (part 2).
36. The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
Read this when it first came out in 2014 and thought it was brilliant… so brilliant that I probably didn’t fully understand it. Re-read it and was completely knocked out again (and I’m sure I still don’t get everything that’s going on in it).
37. The Times by Adam Nagourey
Deeply reported history of the NY Times over the past 40 years. A little too much about all the editorial backbiting, but learning about the transition to digital over the years was fascinating.
38. Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner
This made the topic of awe kind of boring. Most awe-inspiring person of the past few years (to me, at least): Shohei Ohtani.
39. MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards
There are some Marvel movies that I’ve liked a lot (Thor: Ragnarok is a real favorite) and it was interesting to learn about the creation and growth of the studio, but it’s hard to say they’ve been good for movies overall. (Favorite movies of the year: Past Lives and Polite Society.)
40. Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
More young people trying to figure themselves out in NYC.
41. Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead
Absolutely great novel. Hilariously funny coming-of-age story, but with a vast depth of emotion just below the surface. This and The Flamethrowers were the best fiction I read in 2023.
42. Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon
I’m not a big Sonic Youth fan, but I never tire of learning about this era in NYC’s cultural and artistic history.
43. A Perfect Spy by John Le Carre
I’ve read that many consider this to be Le Carre’s greatest achievement. I wouldn’t go that far (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and The Russia House are at the top of my personal list), but it’s an incredible portrayal of ruin.
44. 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s by Rob Harvilla
A fun podcast turned into a fun book. Also, RIP once again to Sinead O’Connor, a personal hero. The section about her is beautiful. (The single best comment I read about Sinead after she died was a note someone made that ripping up that photo of the Pope on SNL was both the most punk and the most Christian thing someone could possibly do.)
45. Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
Excellent novel.
46. Extermination by Ed Brisson and Pepe Larraz
Does time travel ever make sense? Probably not, but this was a fun, quick read anyway. Cool artwork, too.
47. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Finally read this 20 years after the hype. Secret to making people keep turning the pages even when the quality of the prose is… um, questionable: short chapters with a cliffhanger at the end of every single one.
48. Lou Reed: The King of New York by Will Hermes
I still regret never having had the chance to see him perform live, but he was not a nice dude.
