Oh wow, fantastic practice. I...do not even highlight or take notes when I read, so I was thinking I'd be utterly incapable of producing a list like this.
What's your system? Inquiring minds need to know.
(Also—been wanting to read Mann. Proust is phenomenal. Read him!)
Brigitte, your list – shared with extraordinary depth and wisdom – is a great way to bring in the new year for two types of people: (1) those who write, and (2) those who don't.
I'm going to hunt down several of your recommended volumes, starting with "The Big Leap," and "Bird by Bird." A third, "A Field Guide to Getting Lost," reminds me of a work you may have heard of (and likely read): "Necessary Losses," by Judith Viorst. It's right up your alley.
Thank you so much for taking the time to engage with this list, Larry! And I will make sure to read your suggested book, it's now in my tbr list. You are right, it sounds like a book I'd enjoy ;)
Oh yeah!! Thank you Brigette! I’m Kool-Aid man mode about this format of lines over books. Why is this not the go-to for all annual reading lists? Hats off to you and the OG on this, Kolina. I’m so grateful I saw this.
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann feels like a book that’s calling me. And that line by Paul Aster- whew, that one brings a fitting, encore-proof crescendo of emotion. That’s a keeper! Sincere thanks for sharing and converting me to this format.
Thank you for taking the time to read and engage with my little collection, Matt :) I agree that this shall be a format to keep for future recaps—it's such a fun and valuable exercise! And if you have time and like to reflect on the topic of time, The Magic Mountain is a great book.
Wonderful, wonderful list! I did a first pass of everything and I find myself wanting to re-read every passage you shared over and over again. Slowly.
“Sleepless” is going in my Amazon cart now. My 2025 goal is to read more memoirs and this looks like the perfect book for me. Thank you for sharing Brigitte!!!
Oh dear Sarah, it makes me happy to know that you like my list! I hope you'll like 'Sleepless' and Marie D.'s courageous writing (or should I call it a crazy bricolage?) about her crushing insomnia.
YAY! I love that you adopted the practice and shared your favorites!! It was so fun to read someone else's favorite lines. Thank you for sharing and for the nod to my post!
Thank you Kolina! It was so fun to follow your lead. Also, I loved your highlights and already look forward to your 2025 year-end post (and others in-between)!
An amazing reading list Brigitte. Funny that I just pulled The Big Leap off my shelf for a re-read a few days ago. It's a great one to dip into at the start of a new year.
It is! And it's one of these concepts that once internalized, you often recognize the problem AND potential in yourself and other people. So happy you like this list, Rick.
This is my kind of New Years list! Such a beautiful way to reflect on a year of reading—not just listing books, but sharing the specific passages that made you pause and reflect. Thank you for this thoughtful collection, really loved it.
Beautiful, especially this from Hesse. Thank you. ‘’The human being is a multi-layered tissue, an onion consisting of many hundreds of layers, not a being with one layer or five, but innumerable: the human being is a woven fabric made of existing layers. Recognized and well known, this has been understood by the ancient Asians, and in Buddhist yoga a precise technique has been invented to peel off the delusion of personality.’’
Brigitte! What an absolute honor to have inspired this list. Unbelievable. Thank you for sharing these gorgeous sentences!
Oh wow, fantastic practice. I...do not even highlight or take notes when I read, so I was thinking I'd be utterly incapable of producing a list like this.
What's your system? Inquiring minds need to know.
(Also—been wanting to read Mann. Proust is phenomenal. Read him!)
Brigitte, your list – shared with extraordinary depth and wisdom – is a great way to bring in the new year for two types of people: (1) those who write, and (2) those who don't.
I'm going to hunt down several of your recommended volumes, starting with "The Big Leap," and "Bird by Bird." A third, "A Field Guide to Getting Lost," reminds me of a work you may have heard of (and likely read): "Necessary Losses," by Judith Viorst. It's right up your alley.
Thanks for sharing these!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to engage with this list, Larry! And I will make sure to read your suggested book, it's now in my tbr list. You are right, it sounds like a book I'd enjoy ;)
I love reading about you reading. Seriously, your enthusiasm and passion come through in every paragraph.
What a beautiful compliment to receive, thank you Dave. Makes my day.
Oh yeah!! Thank you Brigette! I’m Kool-Aid man mode about this format of lines over books. Why is this not the go-to for all annual reading lists? Hats off to you and the OG on this, Kolina. I’m so grateful I saw this.
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann feels like a book that’s calling me. And that line by Paul Aster- whew, that one brings a fitting, encore-proof crescendo of emotion. That’s a keeper! Sincere thanks for sharing and converting me to this format.
Thank you for taking the time to read and engage with my little collection, Matt :) I agree that this shall be a format to keep for future recaps—it's such a fun and valuable exercise! And if you have time and like to reflect on the topic of time, The Magic Mountain is a great book.
Yes, I looked up The Magic Mountain this morn. Whoa. It’s not The Stand or IT but TMM is a proper doorstop that one. 🤔
…great curation…the brain’s meadow really sits with me…communication baggage…what we travel with…
That's a great little reflection and I shall remember all these images...thank you so much.
Wonderful, wonderful list! I did a first pass of everything and I find myself wanting to re-read every passage you shared over and over again. Slowly.
“Sleepless” is going in my Amazon cart now. My 2025 goal is to read more memoirs and this looks like the perfect book for me. Thank you for sharing Brigitte!!!
Oh dear Sarah, it makes me happy to know that you like my list! I hope you'll like 'Sleepless' and Marie D.'s courageous writing (or should I call it a crazy bricolage?) about her crushing insomnia.
YAY! I love that you adopted the practice and shared your favorites!! It was so fun to read someone else's favorite lines. Thank you for sharing and for the nod to my post!
Thank you Kolina! It was so fun to follow your lead. Also, I loved your highlights and already look forward to your 2025 year-end post (and others in-between)!
🥹🥹🥹
An amazing reading list Brigitte. Funny that I just pulled The Big Leap off my shelf for a re-read a few days ago. It's a great one to dip into at the start of a new year.
It is! And it's one of these concepts that once internalized, you often recognize the problem AND potential in yourself and other people. So happy you like this list, Rick.
This is my kind of New Years list! Such a beautiful way to reflect on a year of reading—not just listing books, but sharing the specific passages that made you pause and reflect. Thank you for this thoughtful collection, really loved it.
Rachel, THANK YOU so much for your continued and generous feedback and support you give me. It's wonderful.
Of course! I’m so grateful we met through WoP ◡̈
what a great collection! Thank you so much for sharing this! I just restacked my favorite one! 💛
Thank you so much, Lina, and nice to meet you!
Nice meeting you too Brigitte!
Beautiful, especially this from Hesse. Thank you. ‘’The human being is a multi-layered tissue, an onion consisting of many hundreds of layers, not a being with one layer or five, but innumerable: the human being is a woven fabric made of existing layers. Recognized and well known, this has been understood by the ancient Asians, and in Buddhist yoga a precise technique has been invented to peel off the delusion of personality.’’