December is an excellent time of the year for reflecting on various aspects of our lives: How was 2023 for you? If you could imagine it in the books you read, movies you watched, songs or words that touched your heart, people you met, wisdom or truths you understood, pieces of advice you needed (or was given without asking), how would you describe it?
If I were asked such questions in one go, I’d need some thinking time. Fortunately, we have my ‘It’s in (Y)Our Hands!’ collection to imagine a simple format for such a reflection. For example, you are thinking about books you read. Can you recall any five that you found particularly meaningful in the context of your life, or in the circumstances you were in? You draw a hand outline and brainstorm the titles and authors. Let’s see if I can have my five.
The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig. I bought it in the summer of 2021, right before my long weekend of running a mountain trail race in the Carpathians. Needed something to read on a bus, thought of Zweig’s short stories, and thought the books would be similar. It was very different, and I never went past the first twenty pages. And then the war… and suddenly, reading about the writer’s life before, during, and after WWI in Europe, and then about the beginning of WWII and his emigration. Life between two world wars, watching the huge changes, managing to keep writing through the tough times. To me, the book was a chance to talk to someone who lived through the war and to hear advice. This quote is written in the Ukrainian and English translations and in my journal:
In the last resort, every shadow is also the child of light, and only those who have known the light and the dark, have seen war and peace, rise and fall, have truly lived their lives.
“Різнотрав’я. Гербарій саду життя“ (in translation from Ukrainian, Mixed Herbs. Herbarium of the Garden of Life) by Myroslav Dochynets’. It is a collection of personal notes and life observations, written in the beautiful language, with amazing vocabulary, and endless love to readers.
This is what the writer says about the book (The translation below was patiently negotiated with Chat GPT.)
“Our life is a constant collecting. From mushrooms in the forest to treasures of truth in the thickets of global chaos. Accumulating crumbs of emotions and impressions, thoughts and judgments, love and affection, memories and hopes, words and silence, dreams and fantasies. Collecting ourselves into wholeness. Tireless, eager pursuit of Wholeness, being substituted with such verbal chimeras as happiness, fate, mood, and success. We are eternal and tireless collectors because the true wholeness of life is hidden. And this writing is also a kind of collecting.”
The Doctor and the Soul: From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy by Viktor E. Frankl deserves many, many posts. The author completed the book and did not publish it because Austria was occupied by Nazi. The first draft was taken away from him in the concentration camp. He still managed to publish the book when he was freed from the camps, years later. One of the reasons for surviving the horrors was the author’s desire to complete the book.
As I delved into the book, actively taking notes and marking pages, I realized that I needed a deeper understanding of the Method of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis. The Method that was tested by its author in the places that could be described as ‘Hell on Earth’.
I searched for the Ukrainian Association and found out that we have had one since… 2022. The registration address was my native Dnipro. I made a call and found out there was just one week before the Foundational Course began.
“The full gravity of the responsibility that every man bears throughout every moment of his life: the responsibility for what he will make of the next hour, for how he will shape the next day.”
‘The Choice: a True Story of Hope’ and ‘The Gift: Lessons to Save Your Life’ by Edith Eger. They are different but both powerful. The author is one of the most inspiring people I have ever read about. They say, books find you when you need them. Or they call you. When I saw ‘The Gift’ in English on a bookshelf in Lviv in 2023, it was a clear sign. Reading ‘The Choice’ was harder, and without it being our homework on the course, I might not have taken it. But I am glad I did, and highly recommend it.
No one can take away from you what you’ve put in your mind.
Perfectionism is the belief that something is broken – you. So you dress up your brokenness with degrees, achievements, accolades, and pieces of paper, none of which can fix what you think you are fixing.
Looking at my journal notes, I see that I have been reading more this year than in 2022, and I take it as a good sign. One book I wanted to mention is One Life: How We Forgot to Live Meaningful Lives by Morten Albaek. I noticed the word ‘Meaning’ in the full title just now!
How would I describe my year with the help of these five books? I think this could turn into another 500 words of thoughts and reflections. I was planning to offer this as an activity in our Saturday meeting with the Reflective Practice Group, but I wonder if it can be too hard as a spontaneous question.
This also prompts me how hard it may be to reflect on the whole year in its many aspects all at once. Maybe, part by part is a better approach. We still have time this December!
What were you reading in 2023? Besides your reading log, how else do you reflect on the year’s events and experiences?
Thank you for reading! 🙂
P.S. I started adapting my Activity 43: Gratitude, Books/Movies, but realized this example in this post is indeed for one year only. In Activity 43, the main focus is on ‘What [books or movies] helped you become who you are?’ so the list would be different. Except that every time we are asked to share a ‘favorite’ book or movie, our answers may be different as we go through a different stage of life. More philosophy coming!
Wednesday Seminars 
Dear Zhenya,
I can’t say that I read any life-changing books in 2023 but there were quite a few that got me into deep reflection, all fiction though. Most of the books in my 2023 reading list are by female authors and it’s no wonder they mainly deal with womanhood, motherhood and wifehood.
Let me mention first the South Korean novel ‘Please Look after Mother’ by Kyung-sook Shin, a heart-breaking story about a mother who disappears to die away from her family she has devoted her whole life to, her lonely death being her last sacrifice for them. There is so much almost unfathomable motherly sacrifice in this book which makes you think of ‘Is this amount of human sacrifice possible? Is there a limit to a mother’s sacrifice? Do children really take their mothers for granted?’
Another book that I’d like to mention is a dystopian novel by Jessamine Chan ‘The School for Good Mothers’. I’m not a fan of dystopian books but this one shook the ground beneath my feet. It tells the story of a single mother who makes a mistake in looking after her child and the tragic and unimaginable consequences this mistake imposes on her life. While reading it, I asked myself the question ‘Am I a good mother?’ about a hundred times and recalled some personal mistakes in raising my own child, which made me shutter.
The last book comes from North Macedonia, ‘My Husband’ by Rumena Buzarovska, a collection of short stories tackling the husband-wife issues. Buzarovska is so brutally honest that you cannot but ask yourself whether and why you act in your own life exactly like the characters in her stories, imperfect, weak and even unpleasant but so true to life.
Best,
Svetlana
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Hi Svetlana
Wow. Wow! I am grateful for the book list and the meaningful insightful reviews you shared with me. I love that all of these are fiction stories, and that they are all international (learning from new cultures and different perspectives is what we like, I remember!). Now, they are also family-focused (being a daughter, a mother, a wife), and therefore, can bring a lot of reflections on these important roles.
The mother’s (mothers’) sacrifice, or an act of love… You are asking big questions. They are very much in line with what we discuss in the Logo Theory course I am taking: how can a person find the sense of their living (and even dying)? Where can the strength and energy to fulfil what’s meaningful for us be found? How do we know it is ‘the’ choice to make, etc.
I would love to read these books. And in general, aim to spend more time reading fiction in the new year.
Thank you for making me think about it, and for adding books to my wish list!
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Dear Zhenya,
It’s been wonderful to see you blogging again! I read this post a couple of days ago but I find it much easier to comment at my desk rather than on my mobile phone.
This is my list for last year https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2023/63516358 and like Svetlana, I haven’t read anything incredibly impactful but some of the books did get me thinking. For instance, “The Earth Transformed” – as if I didn’t worry enough about climate change already! Also “Flawless”, because I know next to nothing about Korean culture and it was fascinating to see what lengths people will or are forced to go to in order to comply with what is perceived to be the norm.
It’s so interesting that you mentioned the Frankl book because I don’t remember having heard about it before but there’s a new girl in our office who recommended it just the other day! It feels like a coincidence but maybe there’s a message in there somewhere. I think I’ll add it to my list.
Thank you for this thoughtful post!
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Dear Vedrana
How impressive: your 2023 reading record is so well-organized. Interesting how you planned to read 15 books but did much more than that. I enjoyed browsing through the book covers on your page: reminds me of visiting someone’s place with a regular bookshelf in the dining room and talking about the books there… So cool.
Goran Tribuson’s book drew my attention as I can relate to the boy wearing the red tie. I almost understood the title in Croatian and went to check my version. Saw that there is a movie on this book, too.
And the synchronicity as a meaningful coincidence is something I start to believe in 🙂 That’s what you said about Victor Frankl’s book. Man’s Search for Meaning is a tough read, on the one hand, but it is so much about love and respect for life, people, and our ability to strive and grow. Would love to hear your impressions if you have a chance to read it.
Let’s make 2024 full of good books,
Zhenya
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