Jordan Mattox

1. Humankind: A Hopeful History Rutger Bregman I listened to this as an audiobook on my morning walks with my dog. This book shares some similarities with Sapiens, but is more based in psychological research and less in anthropology. Each chapter is an equally fascinating stand-alone exploration of our assumptions about human nature, and Bregman has a way of methodically debunking some of the famous stories. For example, he has a chapter in the book on Lord of the Flies where he shows how the description of human nature was more based on Golding’s character flaws than reality. Not only that, he finds an actual story of a group of teenage boys lost on an island for 15 months and, to give it away, it does not end like Lord of the Flies. Great book, particularly for those of us raised in a religious environments where the sinful nature of humans was emphasized… 

2. Long Way Down Jason Reynolds I don’t read much YA, but, when a book is well-written, genre doesn’t really matter. Jason Reynolds is an amazing writer, and this novella blew me away and definitely affected how I see the potential of the genre. The story follows a boy whose brother is murdered and his journey down an elevator with a series of ghosts who warn him and try to dissuade him from carrying out revenge. A quick read and impactful. 

3. frank: sonnets Diane Seuss Seuss won almost every prize there is to win for this collection–and for good reason: this collection is amazing, page-turning, unflinching, direct, and transcendent. I love books that explore what genre can be. She reinvented what the sonnet can be on nearly every page. I’ll probably be reading this one many more times. 

4. Disgrace J.M. Coetzee I’ve loved everything I’ve read of Coetzee. This book has some of the most mixed reviews and for good reason: the protagonist is a college professor who loses his job after having an affair with a student and refusing to apologize. I assumed the plot would focus on this as its central conflict, but that’s just where the story begins. The subject matter here is dark and gets darker the further you read. The redeeming quality of the book is the writing: when Coetzee is at full-throttle, he is operating at a level few do in modern literature. I wouldn’t start here if you are just getting into Coetzee, but this one should be on your radar. 

5. What W.H. Auden Can Do for You Alexander McCall Smith I picked up this book after struggling through early Auden in a collection I found at a used book store. Auden, more than most poets I’ve read, leaves an incredible amount unsaid. He also says things that seem more disconnected than connected, which makes you wonder if the connection is just how the words sound. I enjoyed Smith’s exegesis of Auden’s more famous poems and the biographical context he gives. The book isn’t what I hoped for, but it reinvigorated me to jump back into Auden. 

6. The Blizzard Vladimir Sorokin Sorokin has been in the news lately for his dissident writing about Putin and the war in Ukraine. He is currently the most famous, and maybe infamous, writer working in Russian literature. His writing can be gross, strange, fascinating, disgusting, and deeply literary all at the same time. He is operating a literary world with some giants, but he is doing new things while harkening back to the great Russian masters. This story follows a doctor on his way to a disease outbreak in a small town. He must venture through a blizzard to get there. The story of his mystical elements, strange characters, twists, and allusions.