Read often, read widely - this is the most common advice I hear for those looking to enter the literary translation and/or publishing fields. This year, I've taken that advice to heart and am currently on track to read over 80 books this year. Regardless of whether I fall miserably short of that goal, just barely reach it, or surpass it, I'm most interested in simply reading more. The more implicit and explicit knowledge I can acquire about writing, language, cultures, experiences, philosophies, and opinions, the more well-equipped a translator, writer, and publishing professional I can become.

Here is what I've read so far in 2023 (favorites bolded):

January

The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
The Novelist by Jordan Castro
"You Just Need To Lose Weight" And 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Enjoy Me Among My Ruins by Juniper Fitzgerald
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The Tea Dragon Society (Tea Dragon, #1) by Kay O'Neill
The Tea Dragon Festival (Tea Dragon, #2) by Kay O'Neill
The Tea Dragon Tapestry (Tea Dragon, #3) by Kay O'Neill
The Carrying by Ada Limon
A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) by Becky Chambers

February

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot, #2) by Becky Chambers
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn
Couplets by Maggie Milner
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura translated by Philip Gabriel
The World Goes On by László Krasznahorkai translated by George Szirtes, Ottillie Mulzet, John Batki
Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh

March

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
The Codependency Recovery Plan by Krystal Mazzola MEd LMFT
Cultish: The Language of Fanatacism by Amanda Montell
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Violent Phenomena: 21 Essays on Translation by Kavita Bhanot (editor) and Jeremy Tiang (editor
Pure Color by Sheila Heti
The Quiet Before: On the Unexpected Origins of Radical Ideas by Gal Beckerman

April

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell
Nevada by Imogen Binnie
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto translated by Junichi Mastura and Lourdes Porta (Spanish edition)

2023 Reading List