Better late than never with this, I guess. 2021 was even more of a chronological smear than 2020. When I look back at everything that went down—both in my personal life and in the world at large—I can’t comprehend how all of it happened in a mere 365 days, especially when the last few years leading up to this one seem in retrospect to have been so (relatively) uneventful (uh…no, scratch that…and hindsight in general). At times I felt like I was living in a horrorscape this year—partly of my own making and partly sculpted by forces outside my control. The second half of the year was much worse than the first, and now that it’s over I feel depleted. Normally I’d bury my head in the sand and try to read my way through these brutal periods, but that wasn’t working this year. I ended up reading just barely over half of my total for 2020. At a certain point I gave up on writing reviews for the most part, as well—there was simply no time for writing. Unfortunately this lead to a further feeling of disconnection from what I had read.
In looking at what I did manage to read, unsurprisingly I see a lot of aimless casting about for distraction. I ricocheted from new-to-me writers (for example, trying to find my footing with Marie NDiaye; finally reading Stoner after first shelving it seven years ago [not worth the long wait]; diving headfirst into Blake Butler’s work with Scorch Atlas, the experience of which by contrast actually made the last couple of years seem festive) to unread titles by old favorites (Marguerite Duras, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Denton Welch, Joy Williams). In between—when pages of prose alone felt too weighty—I gorged on a passel of graphic novels (highlights: Chris Reynolds’ The New World: Comics from Mauretania, Charles Burns’ Last Look trilogy, and several books by Martin Vaughn-James).
A few other stand-outs:
Best book out of left field: Negative Space by B. R. Yeager
Best book I wish I’d read a long time ago: The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark (read in omnibus edition)
Best book to suit my mood at the time I read it: The Moment by Peter Holm Jensen
Best book that is also a great movie: Valerie and Her Week of Wonders by Vítězslav Nezval
The most important reading lesson I (re)learned this year is that I can’t ignore the need to read for comfort. This year was a reminder that reading is not always about expanding my thinking, broadening my view of the world, or whatever other pseudo-lofty b.s. qualities I might in my weaker moments ascribe to it. Sometimes I need to experience the pleasure of reading solely for its own sake—unfortunately my ability (and willingness) to do that has declined in recent years. When I look back over what I read in 2021, I realize that I took the most comfort in reading Joy Williams and Denton Welch—two very different writers, but both masters of their craft whose skill at fitting words together facilitates a transcendent experience for me. In general I want more of that.
Looking ahead to 2022…I have no concrete reading goals, but I think I will probably read less and hopefully enjoy more of the books I’m able to finish. Writing more reviews again would also be nice.
Happy New Year!
s. d. stewart 
Helen
/ January 4, 2022Totally relate to all of this – it was a tough year and I read less than half the number of books I did in 2020. I had big plans to try new authors and more challenging reads, but looking back at what I finished, a lot of it functioned more as a distraction. Here’s hoping for a better 2022! Happy New Year!
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sean
/ January 4, 2022Thanks and likewise!
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Anonymous
/ January 6, 2022I have been reading the Little House on the Prairie series and I am not sad about it.
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sean
/ January 6, 2022And there is no reason you should be.
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Philosopher Muse
/ August 15, 2025Pardon me for commenting here on a post that has nothing to do with the topic on hand. About your book review on Every Cradle Is a Grave posted March 7, 2024 on Goodreads—I really connected with what you said about finding a writer who articulates ideas one has been thinking about. That’s exactly how I felt while reading Sarah Perry’s book. Its unconventional perspective is what made it so compelling for me, even with the occasional stylistic inconsistencies you mentioned. It also felt like a blast to read something that challenges the mainstream so directly and thoughtfully eh.
I also noticed you quoted Emil Cioran on your googread profile page “Is it possible that existence is our exile and nothingness our home” and again on your About page here on this website. Two excellent quotes by the way. May I ask: What do you suppose Sarah and Emil would talk about if they were to share a mug of beer at a pub? Feel free to expound and be creative. Could you also let me know if you stumbled upon any similar books to the Cradle in the last year or so.
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sean
/ August 15, 2025Hello, thanks for commenting and glad to hear you enjoyed Perry’s book. I’d like to think that Sarah and Emil would talk about anything other than what they write about, such as the quality of the beer or the number of clouds in the sky. At this point, I find a lot of what they write about to be self-evident, so I would hope they could find more compelling topics to discuss. As for other books, I think Perry’s is somewhat unique, although I’ve read some others in a similar vein, the best of which was probably Depressive Realism: Interdisciplinary Perspectives by Colin Feltham. The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti runs along similar lines, though not as tightly written. I wasn’t a big fan of David Benatar’s book Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming Into Existence. I’d also recommend Peter Zapffe’s The Last Messiah, if you haven’t already read that one. Tractatus Logico-Suicidalis: On Killing Oneself by Hermann Burger is also an interesting read.
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Philosopher Muse
/ August 16, 2025Witty and thoughtful.
Thank you for your suggestions. I am acquainted with your list, except for the final one.
How about blog writers?
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sean
/ August 16, 2025The only one I can think of is this: https://socialecologies.wordpress.com/
I haven’t explored much in blogs on these subjects. I’m only interested to a certain point, I suppose. For me, Cioran so far remains the top writer when it comes to pessimism as philosophy.
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Philosopher Muse
/ August 21, 2025Excellent website; in fact, I’ve spent several weeks reading it.
I agree, Cioran holds a special place in philosophical pessimism. In principle I value what he has to say but I don’t overly enjoy reading his books. Have you any blogs in particular that might help me warm up to him?
By the way, your Goodreads review on Depressive Realism was priceless. I’ve dropped everything on my personal reading list this week and have been heads-and-eyes into Feltham’s text.
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sean
/ August 22, 2025If you mean my own blogs, then no, I’ve not written about Cioran here. I know what you mean, though, as far as his books not being particularly enjoyable. I find him most readable in aphoristic form, as in The Trouble With Being Born. There’s also a good documentary about him on YouTube: https://youtu.be/78y06QkpnC8?si=p-TVX7mVCHvGNUPI
Glad the Feltham review was helpful. I thought that book was very well written, and I’d like to explore more of his writing. Oh, and I came across another title, Considering Suicide, that may be of interest — I don’t recall the author offhand, but I think the publisher is the same as for Sarah Perry’s book.
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Philosopher Muse
/ August 24, 2025Thanks for the YT link and the book recommendation. I will check it out. Catch ya later Sean.
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Philosopher Muse
/ September 7, 2025By the way I made contact with Feltham and we discussed DR. Here’s the end product of our collaboration should you wish to see:
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sean
/ September 7, 2025Thanks for sharing this. It’s a compelling presentation summarizing his ideas. I also enjoyed your video on Sarah Perry.
Are you on Goodreads, by chance? I know you mentioned seeing my reviews. If so, we should connect on there.
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Philosopher Muse
/ September 8, 2025Thanks a bunch. Alas, I hardly ever go on Goodreads but feel free to add my video to your Goodreads review or share it on your other social media sites; I believe Feltham would appreciate that. You can always contact me through my Contact page if you like to stay in touch.
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sean
/ September 8, 2025Okay, sounds good.
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