IN THIS POST: A collection of 7 great quotes from my books in 2022.
Every time I sit down to develop a “best books read in 2022” list I get stuck. Too many books? Not enough ways to classify them? Too many ways to classify them?
Why not just post the entire list of books that I read? I mean, on one level, they were at least good enough that I finished them. Trust me, that means something. I’ve become increasingly flip about tossing a book on my “Did Not Finish (DNF)” pile.
In hindsight, it probably would’ve been better to post this list before I posted my reading challenge for 2023. You know, summarize the previous year before jumping into the new. But, also as you know, #lifehappens.
Instead of a full book list, I’m going to capture some of my reading highlights by sharing the quotes/excerpts that stood out to me. They stood out enough for me to copy down to reference later or at will. Not all of these books would necessarily make my “top favorite” list, but clearly something in their writing stuck out to me.
Two Categories for Quotes
The quotes are in two categories: quotes about ideas and quotes with great writing.
In the first category are quotes or excerpts of books that provoked reflection for me. Maybe it was a juxtaposition of ideas, maybe it was the illuminating of a connection, or maybe it was something new for me to add to the jumble of thoughts crammed in my head.
The second category is sentences or excerpts that struck me as beautiful writing. Think of these like a teacher reading a student’s writing and putting “great sentence” or “well done” in the comment section. Not that any of these writers need my approval.
Onward!
Great Quotes from My Books in 2022: About Ideas
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
“Hope is an instinct only the reasoning human mind can kill.”
Raising Critical Thinkers by Julie Bogart
“The alternative to certainty is intimacy. Intimacy means knowing more of the subject with more of yourself. It looks like a greater and greater tenderness toward a field of study – a hunger to become close to it, to know its compelling contours and unavoidable flaws. It means reading the subject’s ardent fan base and listening with patience to its detractors. Intimacy leads to both a fascination with and a protection of a subject’s inherent value. There’s inscrutability and mystery within each subject. Intimacy in learning means developing an ongoing relationship to that discipline, allowing it to morph and change, which requires humility. Mastery is a myth.”
Bullies and Saints by John Dickson
“Violence has been a universal part of the human story. The demand to love one’s enemies has not. Division has been a norm. Inherent human dignity has not. Armies, greed, and the politics of power have been constants in history. Hospitals, schools, and charity for all have not. Bullies are common. Saints are not.”
“The truth of the matter, as with so many things, is mixed, likely to disturb believer and sceptic alike.”
Great Quotes from My Books in 2022: Great Writing
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
“He had always been worried by the fate of pious women. As much as politicians, they fed on illusion. He was frightened for them: they came to death so often in a state of invincible complacency, full of uncharity.”
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
“But the cloud never comes in that quarter of the horizon from which we watch for it.”
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
“No one spoke of the race, but outraged sportsmanship glinted perilously in every eye.”
Disclaimer
This by no means summarizes my reading in 2022. I wouldn’t even put all these books in a Top 5 Favorites list. But sometimes the ideas that lodge in our heads or that we mark in books to revisit are more interesting — possibly more important — than the whole. Sometimes.
I read some great books in 2022. Bullies and Saints was an early favorite and managed to merit a review (and also a couple quotes). Zorrie was a delightful surprise that I recommended to everybody after I read it. Plus, I included a few plays that really WOW’d me (Our Town by Thornton Wilder, anyone?) and some poetry.
Middle Grade fiction is one of my favorite genres. Though I still recommend these favorite middle grade series, middle grade historical fiction is one of my new favorite genres to read. (Guess it’s time to do another post about these titles.)
All that to say, these sentences made me think. But I read a lot of books that were really great and positively contributed to my mental and spiritual health. The best way to see more consistent reviews is at my Bookish Instagram – see you there…or here…wherever. Stop by and say hello 🙂
Cheers to you for a wonderful reading year in 2023!
Leave a Reply