
I don’t know if Seattle Public Library usually does this. But this was the first year that I saw their year-end roundup of most popular reads. The library is an important part of my reading life; my borrowing history shows that I checked out 37 books in 2022. So I thought it would be fun to see how my library usage compared with everyone else’s.
Although I proceed at almost the pace of Paul Salopek’s Out of Eden Walk, I’m reading my way around the world. After reading Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John for Antigua and Barbuda at the end of 2021, the next nation on the list was Argentina. I ended up reading Samanta Schweblin’s Fever Dream. Months have passed since I read it, but it’s still just as sharp in mind as when I put it down. Which is to say, it’s pretty fuzzy. early in 2022, but I’m only now getting around to writing about it.
Despite my love for filling up passports and my obsession with completeness, I’ve never tried to “win” Independent Bookstore Day for two reasons. First, getting to all the bookstores in one day is too hard. And second, getting to all the bookstores in one day doesn’t leave time for actually browsing the bookstores, and I can never leave a bookstore unexplored once I enter. So each year, I’ve made my own goals. This year was my most challenging.
Read MoreIt really is quite satisfying to look back over the year and be reminded of all the books I read. It’s kind of like catching up with old friends.