Wow, that's quite a list! I'll admit I was expecting to see more books I recognized but that's just a testament to how many zillions of books are out there. I've enjoyed the Ishiguro books the most. Murakami I've read three or four. A couple of the mindfulness books.
I will tell you which novel of the past few years has stayed with me the most, mainly because the main character is so unexpected and intriguing. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, by Polish author Olga Tokarczuk.
I've only read Educated, Into Thin Air, and Wild from your list.
As for most recommended from my last year, I would say:
1. We Are Wanderers - debut book of poetry from Hannah Elizabeth King that I reviewed on my Substack: "What I see in Hannah’s poems is someone who, in times of pain and grief and illness and uncertainty, looks neither to an almighty god of scripture nor to the promise of science nor into the bleakness of an assumed void, but rather to swallowtails and hummingbirds, sweet peas and queen anne’s lace, barred owl calls beneath full moons, the feeling of body pressed against Earth, sensuous immersion in water, in winds, in sunlight. And what she finds there is not merely solace but companionship, relationship, belonging, rootedness."
2. Luminous Darkness (Deborah Eden Tull) - a somewhat-Buddhist, memoir-esque exploration of darkness and the yin aspect of our lives, inviting us to open into mystery, intuition, acceptance, immersion. Not easy to review but it was a significant influence in my last year.
3. Sun House (David James Duncan) - a perhaps unnecessarily-long novel that explores the premise you seem to have landed on in your travels: what if all of the spiritual traditions of the world ultimately lead to the same truth? How might a community of people who have found that truth find each other and create a more harmonious human community? Also reviewed on my Substack last summer.
Wow, that's quite a list! I'll admit I was expecting to see more books I recognized but that's just a testament to how many zillions of books are out there. I've enjoyed the Ishiguro books the most. Murakami I've read three or four. A couple of the mindfulness books.
I will tell you which novel of the past few years has stayed with me the most, mainly because the main character is so unexpected and intriguing. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, by Polish author Olga Tokarczuk.
Well I will have to add that to my 2025 list immediately :) looking forward to it!
And yes… I get dizzy sometimes when I think of all the books in the world… I suppose I just hope the right ones will find me along the way!
I've only read Educated, Into Thin Air, and Wild from your list.
As for most recommended from my last year, I would say:
1. We Are Wanderers - debut book of poetry from Hannah Elizabeth King that I reviewed on my Substack: "What I see in Hannah’s poems is someone who, in times of pain and grief and illness and uncertainty, looks neither to an almighty god of scripture nor to the promise of science nor into the bleakness of an assumed void, but rather to swallowtails and hummingbirds, sweet peas and queen anne’s lace, barred owl calls beneath full moons, the feeling of body pressed against Earth, sensuous immersion in water, in winds, in sunlight. And what she finds there is not merely solace but companionship, relationship, belonging, rootedness."
2. Luminous Darkness (Deborah Eden Tull) - a somewhat-Buddhist, memoir-esque exploration of darkness and the yin aspect of our lives, inviting us to open into mystery, intuition, acceptance, immersion. Not easy to review but it was a significant influence in my last year.
3. Sun House (David James Duncan) - a perhaps unnecessarily-long novel that explores the premise you seem to have landed on in your travels: what if all of the spiritual traditions of the world ultimately lead to the same truth? How might a community of people who have found that truth find each other and create a more harmonious human community? Also reviewed on my Substack last summer.
Wow these all sound fabulous, thank you! Adding to my 2025 list :)
You are INCREDIBLE, truly !