This year I read 144 books. That’s a nice 12 x 12 square. A total of 29’030 pages, or about 200 pages per book. That’s less than in the previous two years, but it’s still enough. Maybe my creative fever, doing lots of different crafts (knitting, crocheting, painting, basket weaving, etc.) has taken time away from reading, and that’s a good thing. My aim this year is to read… less.
Which books stood out this year ? The ratings I give to books don’t always seem accurate with hindsight, but for some books, just looking at the titles brings back emotions. Two very special marks for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka and La fille d’elle-même by Gabrielle Boulianne-Trembley. I’m feeling closer and closer to nature, so was very touched by How to Speak Whale by Tom Mustill about ommunicating with animals and cetaceans in particular, The Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes, walking or not being able to walk around Britain and Je parle à un homme qui ne tient pas en place, a conversation between Jacques Gamblin and Thomas Coville. Emotions always grab me by the guts, so I was touched by Fragments by Anaïs Schenké, a story much to close to home and Seedfolk by Paul Fleischman, about nature and the bonds between human beings. But this is a tiny selection. So many others were outstanding.
