For me, the best time to read is the week between Christmas and New Year — the quiet stretch when, at best, there’s nothing to do. After all, emails are answered by automated out-of-office notifications. At most, you get up from the sofa to make coffee, pour tea and finish the last of the cookies. To keep things interesting, you dive into novels, leaf through art catalogs, and explore volumes of essays. One of the best books I’ve read this year (2024) is Colombe Schneck’s “Paris Trilogy“. In three parts, the French journalist explores themes of friendship, identity and class. You follow the life of a woman from her teenage years in Paris in the 1980s, experiencing free love, heartbreak and loss, to her late fifties, where she has become, in the best sense of the word, truly free. It’s a beautiful narrative that stays with you long after you turn the last page. Miranda July’s new novel, “On All Fours“, also centers on a woman grappling with time — trying to grow older as a woman, a mother and a lover. The first-person narrator embarks on a road trip across America that ultimately leads her to a cheap motel. But it’s here that the true journey begins. Schneck and July’s autofiction reminds me of Deborah Levy, whose new collection of essays, “The Position of Spoons“, reflects on the women who have shaped her life and writing — figures like Marguerite Duras, Colette and Lee Miller.

In Joshua Groß’s “Plasmatropfen“, the protagonist Helen isn’t just an artist — she’s also telekinetically gifted. Groß immerses us in surreal worlds, yet remains grounded in the present, exploring issues like climate change and mindfulness. Samantha Harvey takes us further from Earth in her Booker Prize-winning novel “Orbits” (2024). The story follows six astronauts, and through enchanting prose, Harvey paints the weightless realities of space — both the mundane and the existential. Cemile Sahin’s new novel “Kommando Ajax” is anchored to Earth. It’s a high-paced thriller about art theft, contract killings and friendship set across the Netherlands, Germany and Kurdistan. Sahin, an artist in multiple media, writes with the speed and intensity of a filmmaker — full of quick cuts and sharp transitions. Chantal Akerman, whose films defied genre boundaries in the seventies, was recently honored with a retrospective titled “Travelling” at the Bozar art center. For those who missed the exhibition, the catalog offers an in-depth look at her illustrious career — from Brussels to New York, all the way to the Mexican desert. In his debut novel “Noto“, Adriano Sack takes us to Sicily. The protagonist, Konrad, must come to terms with the death of his partner and navigate the emotional terrain of starting anew. Sheila Heti’s “Alphabetical Diaries” offers a wonderfully experimental reflection on the past decade of her life. The Canadian author organized her diary entries alphabetically in an Excel spreadsheet before editing them into a book. The result reads as though Heti wrote it for the present moment — intensely funny, deeply sad and sharply observed, all while being meticulously crafted. It’s as artificial as the world we navigate between TikTok, A.I., and Botox treatments. In “A Garden Manifesto,” Olivia Laing and Richard Porter demonstrate the radical potential of gardening. In the style of a fanzine, they bring together artists, directors and writers, offering essays, photos and reflections that prove gardens can be more than just retreats, they can be a form of departure, too. And after a week spent on the sofa, what could be better for 2025 than a radical new beginning?

Text: Laura Storfner / Photos: Cottonbro

Colombe Schneck: Paris Trilogie, Rowohlt  

Miranda July: Auf allen Vieren, Kiepenheuer & Witsch 

Deborah Levy: The Position of Spoons, Hamish Hamilton

Joshua Groß: Plasmatropfen, Matthes & Seitz 

Samantha Harvey: Umlaufbahnen, dtv

Chantal Akerman: Travelling, Editions Lannoo 

Cemile Sahin: Kommando Ajax, Aufbau 

Adriano Sack: Noto, Nagel & Kimche 

Sheila Heti: Alphabetical Diaries, Fizcarraldo Editions

Olivia Laing & Richard Porter: A Garden Manifesto, Pilot Press

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