That was a close one. I only managed to hit my reading goal on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. While I did spend more time on photography and exercise this year, I think the main issue was that I got stuck on a few dull pop psychology books (I continue to be unable to quit a book partway through), and I cut into my audiobook time with a few too many podcasts.
Fiction
The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard [2024]
A Canadian doctoral philosopher wrote an unexpected debut novel that lived up to the buzz. The Other Valley is a neat coming-of-age tale that surprised me by feeling so satisfying and cohesive despite the vagueness of the mechanics of its world (Sci-fi? Magical realism? Are they in a simulation?). The last stretch of the book was real page-turner territory.
I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin [2024]
A madcap, extremely online romp with a surprising amount of heart and thoughtfulness. So much of the internet subculture dialogue and characters in this book are dialled up to 11, but it all rings very true. My enjoyment of the book was greatly enhanced by Ari Fliakos delivering one of my favourite audiobook performances in ages.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey [2024]
This one popped up in so many “best of” lists with such effusive praise that I couldn’t help but be disappointed. At times it’s a little too poetic and vibes-based.
But, and this is a very big but: the prose is positively luxuriant, yet rarely feels obtuse or unapproachable. It should please both contemporary literature readers and sci-fi fans.
It’s one of the rare audiobooks that has a strong narrator, yet still makes you feel like you’re missing something by not reading it in print. I’m sure I missed some great material from moments of inattention here and there.
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger [2024]
Another very hyped read, this one was populated by more of the standard apocalypse fare and tropes than I was hoping for (oh look, another precocious survivor child who is crafty beyond their years, for example…)
However, it’s a sad and bittersweet story, often beautifully written without being dense. The book is pointed in suggesting that there will not be a showy, exciting sudden collapse of civilization, but rather that things slowly weather and wear down over time, and life still moves on and can remain worth living.
The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz [2024]
A fun, beguiling, and more than a bit meta read that’s a worthy sequel to The Plot (which I’d say is mostly required reading to really enjoy it, even if it’s entirely comprehensible without it).
While it’s not as distinctive as the first book, I found myself entertained by the villainous Anna, who remains largely one step ahead of everyone throughout much of the book. The novel’s protagonist is motivated by somewhat understandable desires to severe ties with the past and to have agency over her own life’s story, but she achieves this through completely disproportionate and inexcusable violence.
Non-Fiction
The Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman by Patrick Hutchison [2024]
Dudes rock: the book.
This was a thoroughly pleasant, self-effacing story that made me, a similarly unwed, childless, non-home owning, un-handy Millennial in a marketing profession, feel very seen and, to a degree, inspired.
How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain by Peter S. Goodman [2024]
Some of the stories here are very familiar from other books on COVID’s effects or about the supply chain, and especially so if you came across his pieces in the New York Times. Goodman uses the journey of a single product as a sort of core narrative throughout the book to tie the topics together in a way that makes things easier to grasp. He expertly underlines the fundamental faults and sacrifices of global logistics and how COVID-19 perfectly stressed their weak points.
Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics by Elle Reeve [2024]
There are so many good journalists devoting books to the overlapping circles of the alt-right, MAGA right, QAnon/modern conspiracists, etc. that the books can tend to blend together or yield diminishing returns. I think Elle Reeve bucked this trend with her impressive access and boots-on-the-ground reporting. While many of the figures in the book are familiar, I found myself learning new things or getting a more fulsome sense of their character: this iteration of Fred Brennan’s story is the most surprising and touching, for example.
I don’t think the book yields a prescription or that it necessarily unlocks a key part of the puzzle, but it’s thoughtful, satisfying, and superbly narrated by Reeve in the audiobook version.
The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire by Tim Schwab [2023]
Tim Schwab is Hater of the Year, hot damn. In this meticulous takedown of Bill Gates and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and to some degree billionaire philanthropy in general, Schwab lays out detailed and compelling arguments about the Foundation’s failings and self-serving dealings. He does a good job centering people in low- and middle-income countries and their perspectives, and he does more than criticize: Schwab is careful to point out the opportunity costs of the Foundation’s choices, how they could choose better paths, and how governments could rein them in. It’s an impassioned but deeply reported book with moral clarity. I wish it had been more widely read and discussed.
Fat Leonard: How One Man Bribed, Bilked, and Seduced the U.S. Navy by Craig Whitlock [2024]
A fun and well-constructed read about a scandal by a swindler whose exploits you almost have to admire in a certain way. I knew the broader details going in, but I had not realized the breadth of Leonard’s co-option of the fleet, nor his preposterously easy escape.
It’s shocking how many of the corrupted officers got off with nary a slap on the wrist, and how much they risked for modest reward.
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