Reading 2023: Appendix: Connections

During the year, one thing I read often led to another … and another. Here is my take on the synchronicity.

Transformation of the American Midwest and West, especially in the second half of 19th and early 20th Centuries

In 1893 Frederick Jackson Turner wrote “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” Many refer to his “thesis” as recognition that “the frontier is closed,” get over it.
  1. The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton (1998), Jane Smiley. Feb 2023
  2. Bad Land: An American Romance, Jonathan Raban (1996). Mar 2023.
  3. True Grit, Charles Portis (1968). May 2023.
  4. The Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann (2017). Paperback. Nov 2023.
  5. The Last Picture Show, Larry McMurtry (1966). Paperback. Nov 2023.
  6. O Pioneers! Willa Cather. Library of America edition. Dec 2023.
  7. Butcher’s Crossing, John Williams (1960). LofA edition. Dec 2023.
  8. My Antonia, Willa Cather (1918). LofA edition. Dec 2023.
  9. Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott, Sinclair Lewis (1920). LofA edition. Dec 2023. Last read in Feb 2022. See Notebook for that month. In February 2022 personal notebook.

Larry McMurtry

The prolific author died in 2021. I wasn’t aware of his memoirs, but I consumed all three this year. This Essential Larry McMurtry in NYT was timely as well.
  1. Pastures of the Empty Page: Fellow Writers on the Life and Legacy of Larry McMurtry, George Getschow, ed. (2023). Sep 2023.
  2. Books: A Memoir, Larry McMurtry (2008). Sep 2023
  3. Literary Life: A Second Memoir, Larry McMurtry (2009). Oct 2023.
  4. The Last Picture Show, Larry McMurtry (1966). Nov 2023.
  5. Hollywood: A Third Memoir, Larry McMurtry (2010). Dec 2023.

David Grann

I think I’d read Grann’s book on any topic. Thorough in his research, clear in his prose presentation.
  1. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann (2023).May 2023.
  2. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, David Grann (2010). Nov 2023.
  3. The Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann (2017). Nov 2023.

News, Newspapers, and Politics

I have a film list that complements this topic. Lippmann’s name kept coming up in the first two books here; that’s why the third is a Lippmann biography.
  1. The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism, Adam Nagourney (2023). Oct 2023.
  2. Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and The Washington Post, Martin Baron (2023). Oct 2023.
  3. Walter Lippmann and the American Century, Ronald Steel (1980). Nov 2023.

Mick Herron

We love the Apple TV series, and we’ve attempted to stay just ahead of each season’s offering (currently in Season 3) with our reading.
  1. Dead Lions, Mick Herron (2013). #2 in Slow Horses series. Jan 2023.
  2. The List, Mick Herron (2015). Novella in Slow Horses series. Jan 2023.
  3. Real Tigers, Mick Herron (2016). #3. Sep 2023.
  4. Spook Street, Mick Herron (2017). #4 in series. Oct 2023.

Russell Banks

  1. Continental Drift, Russell Banks (1985). Mar 2023
  2. Rule of the Bone, Russell Banks (1995). Apr 2023.
  3. Cloudsplitter, Russell Banks (1998). Apr 2023.

As the year came to a close, I asked Betty which book she read in 2023 made the greatest impression on her. Because of this list I was able to revisit my year in reading and answer her rebound or deflection. Over dinner she said her favorite was probably True Grit. “Up Country was good, and I’m glad I read it, but not my favorite.”At the same meal, I said my reread of The Lincoln Highway might be #1 on my list, but as I reviewed my 2023 list the next morning, I found three different books that stood apart:

  • Butcher’s Crossing, by John Williams. (# 59 below)
  • The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism, by Adam Nagourney. (# 50 below)
  • My Summer Friend, by Charles McGrath. (# 39 below)

Overall the year’s reading was balanced: a fair amount of history (Bruce Catton comes to mind), some biography (American Prometheus and Walter Lippmann), loads of fun (The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, Mick Herron, Crook Manifesto), and I demonstrated a willingness to give up on reading something that just did not engage me.

I read at least two books that I should have read long ago (In Cold Blood and O Pioneers!), and reread a number of books I wanted to revisit for one reason or another.