A writer posted an essay on Substack last year entitled What our books reveal about us. She began asking that you think about all the books you’ve read over the past year.

“Imagine them all around you, covers closed, titles on top. What do they tell you about the year you’ve just lived? What do they say about your state of mind, stage of life, your desires? If it’s easier, imagine a friend coming upon you, surrounded by these books, looking at each one and then at you. What would they say the books reflected about you? Would they be surprised?” 

I was intrigued when the essay first arrived and after posting my list of the books I read in 2024 I returned to that question. Here are eight totally subjective observations about what I discovered. *

• This was a hard year — It is clear from the books I read that I found 2024 difficult to navigate while keeping a sense of equilibrium about life and empathy for our fellow humans. I searched for answers in books by spiritual leaders, political scientists, poets, and more. Most had something of value to add to the discussion in my head.

• I read history as “a lesson in proportions” — That quote from the late David McCullough has become a guide star for my reading and life during these difficult times. In 2024, 17 of the 60 books I read were histories, and almost all spoke to what the past can tell us about today’s sometimes trying and perplexing world.

• I can’t get enough of some authors — Six of the books on my list were ones I had read in the past. It seems that their messages were just what I needed to read again in these times. And then there are other authors—Rebecca Solnit comes most easily to mind—who I seek out to help me think through difficult periods or issues.

• Travel has become an increasingly important part of life — Since retirement I have taken on the role of educational lecturer on National Trust Tours. I find myself reading more books about the history of these fascinating places, both to prepare for my lectures and then afterwards, as I read the treasures I found in bookstores along the way. This year I read essays from writers in Costa Rica, histories of coffee production in Central America, celebrations of new architecture in Helsinki, and observations about Greek life. Fascinating!

• I follow my instincts more than the plan I’ve prepared — Each January I put together a carefully constructed month-by-month plan of which books I already own I want to read. Then I make my first visit to an independent bookshop and the plan goes out the window! I don’t seem to have it in me to walk into a shop full of books and not find—and buy—at least one that looks intriguing. By my count, at least 20 of the books I read this year just leapt out at me from the shelves of some bookstore.

• I remain open to suggestions — 22 of the 60 books—or a little more than a third—were recommended by friends and other readers. And many other works recommended or loaned by readers are still sitting in my TBR pile. I’ll get to them eventually!

• I have become a big fan of memoirs — Perhaps it is my age, but as I get older I have become increasingly fascinated with the stories people tell in memoirs. Those who wrote the memoirs I read have a wide variety of life experiences. But whether it be about surviving a fallow period in life, writing music for a genre where your presence is unexpected and often ignored, or simply looking back at key moments that shaped the author, I find these books lead me to reflect more on how I’ve lived and who has touched and shaped me.

• I continued my effort to diversify the voices in my books — It became apparent last year that I could benefit from reading more diverse voices. Last year, ten of the books I read came from ethnically diverse authors, and I had roughly the same number this year. That can always improve, but even this relatively modest number is resulting in changes to my perspective.

Think about it: what do the books you’ve read reveal about you?

More to come . . .

DJB

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*UPDATE: After posting this essay I thought of a ninth observation which I wanted to add:

• As I age, I find myself reading about subjects that would never have attracted my attention during the first 60 years of my life — Take sheep, for instance. When a book I had ordered (on the recommendation of a friend—see #6 above) arrived, my wife got a puzzled look on her face and said, “who would write a book about sheep?” It turns out that in recent years I’ve read books about beavers, eels, fungi, trees (lots of tree stories), coffee production, mathematics, quantum physics, and more. Perhaps I’m just waking up to the natural world after a lifetime of working in offices, or perhaps I have become more adventuresome in my old age. Who would have thought it!

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Here are my observations to the same question from 2023.

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Image from Pixabay.