It is finally time to look back at 2023 and select the book gems that made my year. In total, I’ve read thirty books while the initial goal was to read fifty. But I’m still content with my reading achievement; I’ve discovered some amazing works of literature and non-fiction. Here are my top five!
Fahrenheit 451! – Ray Bradbury
So far, I have never been disappointed by Bradbury’s fiction but this one became my instant favourite. I read it mostly on the train while commuting to the university and every time I was sad to put the book away.
The book is about firemen who make fires instead of putting them out. They are burning houses which contain books since books are illegal in this dystopian world. People are only interested in fast entertainment; direct dopamine without thinking. Things like television, comic books and radio are still available, but no books or porches (Porches? Yes, you will have to read the book to figure that one out). The government doesn’t want their people to think, because thinking (reading and talking about the world, or even worse… philosophising) makes people ask questions; questions about the regime. So they keep their citizens happy: uneducated and without the ability of critical thinking.
The Fisherman – John Langan
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I picked it up after hearing multiple positive reviews but I didn’t know much about the plot. So, without any expectations, I started to read and now I would recommend it to anyone who is into horror or even legends and dark fantasy. The story started strong and gripped me from the beginning. In the first eighteen pages, I was already hit in the heart by certain incidents that had happened to the characters. Some writers are only able to describe a horrible accident in a vivid way, but John Langan was able to really make me feel the sadness and despair of the main characters.
The book has also a House of Leaves vibe because it contains a story inside a story within a story. Sometimes a bit confusing, but, still very thrilling.
On Anarchism – Noam Chomsky
I have never felt any connection to a political party or ideology. The ideology that comes close to describing my political views must be anarchism. Unfortunately, the term anarchism has always had a negative connotation and many people associate it with a lawless and violent state. After reading this book, one will realize that this is not the case. Chomsky’s writing is clear and he provides various examples of functioning anarchism in his essays. He does like to focus much on the Spanish Civil War, so if the reader is not familiar with this historic event (like I was), then it takes some time to get into.
I Am Legend – Richard Matheson
An original take on the vampire trope. In some moments I even forgot that I was reading about vampires because it felt more like a zombie apocalypse kind of story. The thing is… it doesn’t matter. The novel would work either way. The true horror lies not in the monsters, but in being alone. Our protagonist, Neville, has lost everything and is probably the last remaining creature of his kind.
”And suddenly he thought, I’m the abnormal one now. Normalcy was a majority concept, the standard of many and not the standard of just one man”
– Richard Matheson
I loved reading this book. Until the end, I could not guess how Neville’s life would go on.
Abroad in Japan – Chris Broad
The second piece of non-fiction on this list, however, is about a completely different subject; Japan! If you are interested in the land of the rising sun, then you are probably familiar with the YouTube channel Abroad in Japan, hosted by Chris Broad.
This book reads as a memoir of his life in Japan and touches on various themes. Chapters may range from funny stories, filled with British sarcastic humour, to very awkward moments or serious live questions. I enjoyed every page of this book and I would recommend it to everyone interested in living, working, or just travelling in Japan.
See my full review of this book here.
And at last, I would like to call out one honourable mention that just barely didn’t make the cut to end up on this list. Mostly because I didn’t want to add another philosophical/political non-fiction to my top 5. However, this book is just as good as the others! I’m talking about Why I Write by George Orwell, a collection of short essays about the art of writing. Now, I hear you thinking ‘’What has writing to do with politics?’’, well according to Orwell: everything. In his first essay, he points out that writing has to come from the need to change something about reality or dissatisfaction with a situation. The essays contain a lot of information about British politics before the Second World War (a subject that I knew nothing about), however, they also provide multiple valuable advice on writing and insight into Orwell’s life and art.
Discover more from MariaTheMillennial
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
MariaTheMillennial 