Many of my favorite books this year were short books, read in one or two sittings, on the subway or at the Long Island Bar on Sundays, where I would sit, having just one more beer, putting down my book every so often to hear the clatter and gossip, the Waylon Jennings drifting from the ceiling. Many of these were recommendations from Lucas, who works at a bookstore in Manhattan. Other, longer favorites were on his recommendation, too: Drndić, Marías, Lispector.
As with any year, there were the poets I always return to: Susan Howe, whose works I finally finished; George Oppen, whose long poem I started committing to memory while walking in the woods in October; A. R. Ammons, whose collected poems I’ll be working through for a long time. And new poets for me: Dionne Brand, a revelation.
I picked at scattered piles of nonfiction that would be somewhat eccentric to recommend. Canonical formation, conquistadors, utopian lexicons, books from the 20s trying to approximate America.
Far more than books, though, I conceptualize my years in music. Music for breathing, music for remembering, music unlike anything else. There were records from last year that I missed, reissue records from the 70s, new releases from friends. There were new discoveries from old favorites, as if I had been subconsciously saving them for later. There was the top 14 songs list that I compiled as part of an annual tradition (s/o Henry) and the larger, unranked list of favorite records of 2022.
All these discoveries may seem like mine, but they belong to my friends; to the invaluable work of small literary presses and magazines, music curators and labels; to the delight of happenstance and the sudden urge to put on something you’ve been meaning to get to for years.
Everything bolded above is linked below. So come browse the bookshelf, the record crate. I hope you find something that sticks.
ben tapeworm
short books
A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by László Krasznahorkai, translated by Ottilie Mulzet
Ban En Banlieue by Bhanu Kapil
The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt
Exposition by Nathalie Léger, translated by Amanda DeMarco
The Hole by Hiroko Oyamada, translated by David Boyd
Love by Hanne Ørstavik, translated by Martin Aitken
The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan
Tell Them of Battles, Kings and Elephants by Mathias Énard, translated by Charlotte Mandell
recommendations from Lucas
Belladonna by Daša Drndić, translated by Celia Hawkesworth
Your Face Tomorrow by Javier Marías, translated by Margaret Jull Costa
Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector, translated by Alison Entrekin
the poets I always return to
The Europe of Trusts and Spontaneous Particulars by Susan Howe
New Collected Poems by George Oppen
The Complete Poems of A. R. Ammons
Dionne Brand
Nomenclature: New and Collected Poems and The Blue Clerk by Dionne Brand
eccentric to recommend
Conquistadores by Fernando Cervantes
Cultural Capital by John Guillory
Kodak and the Lens of Nostalgia by Nancy Martha West
The Search for the Perfect Language by Umberto Eco
books from the 20s trying to approximate America
In the American Grain by William Carlos Williams
The Stammering Century by Gilbert Seldes
records from last year that I missed
Inner Symphonies by Dobrawa Czocher and Hania Rani
Sd-1 by LoukeMan
Small Things by Nick Hakim & Roy Nathanson
Twin Plagues by Wednesday
reissue records from the 70s
Habibi Funk 019: Oghneya by Ferkat Al Ard
Still Some Light by Bill Fay
Wrecked Again by Michael Chapman
new releases from friends
“Loopsmith” by Steven Leftovers
“Sentence I” by Font
“Thanks” by Brother Language
new discoveries from old favorites
Great Thunder by Waxahatchee
Peace At Last by The Blue Nile
Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris
favorite records of 2022
Alvvays - Blue Rev
Angel Olsen - Big Time
Astrid Sonne - Ephemeral camera feed
Bad Bunny - Un Verano Sin Ti
Beth Orton - Weather Alive
Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Bill Callahan - YTILAER
billy woods - Aethiopes
Cactus Lee - PERFECT MIDDLE HALL
caroline - caroline
Cass McCombs - Heartmind
Croatian Amor - Remember Rainbow Bridge
Damien Jurado - Reggae Film Star
Dan Reeder - This Guy I Knew Died
Dania - Voz
Delicate Steve - After Hours
Destroyer - LABYRINTHITIS
Duval Timothy - Meeting with a Judas Tree
Dylan Henner - You Always Will Be
Flanger Magazine - After the Band
Friendship - Love the Stranger
Graham Hunt - If You Knew Would You Believe It?
Hermanos Gutiérrez - El Bueno Y El Malo
Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer - Recordings from the Åland Islands
Joan Shelley - The Spur
Joe Rainey - Niineta
Kali Malone - Living Torch
Kelly Lee Owens - LP.8
Kham Meslien - Fantômes... Futurs
Lambchop - The Bible
Leikeli47 - Shape Up
Little Simz - NO THANK YOU
Lynn Avery and Cole Pulice - To Live & Die in Space & Time
MIKE - Beware of the Monkey
MJ Lenderman - Boat Songs
Nilüfer Yanya - PAINLESS
Oso Oso - sore thumb
Quelle Chris - Deathfame
Rachika Nayar - Heaven Comes Crashing
Shabason & Krgovich - At Scaramouche
Shintaro Sakamoto - Like A Fable
Silvia Tarozzi and Deborah Walker - Canti di guerra, di lavoro e d'amore
Spiritualized - Everything Was Beautiful
Time for Three - Letters for the Future
Tim Bernardes - Mil Coisas Invisíveis
Two Shell - Icons
Tyler Childers - Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
Uji - TIMEBEING
Various Artists - Luke Schneider Presents Imaginational Anthem vol. XI : Chrome Universal - A Survey of Modern Pedal Steel
Whatever The Weather - Whatever The Weather
Young Jesus - Shepherd Head
the top 14 songs
(It’s 14 songs because my arbitrary limit was an hour.)
Read back about 2021 favorites and listen back to my August playlists. If you’re enjoying this almanac, subscribe and share it with friends.