Books I Read in 2020

Happy new year! 2020 was, as everybody is saying, quite a strange year. Throughout most of the middle section of it, I had loads more time to get back into reading, and then from October onwards I was incredibly busy. Reading, however, is something I really love doing and in many ways it inspires and informs my musical practice too, so I thought I would start sharing some of my reading habits and reviews on this blog too.

I kept track throughout 2020 of all the books I read, so I thought I would begin by sharing them with you and letting you know (in a spoiler-free way) what I thought of them very briefly. Hopefully you will find something new to read! I haven’t put them in any particular order here.

The MaddAddam Trilogy

Margaret Atwood

(Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam)

Oryx and Crake was written quite a while before the other two, and holds up very well as a standalone novel. To say really anything about the plot would be too spoilery, as it succeeds on its gradual revelations of some of the most basic expositional elements. The first book is probably one of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read, and all three books have incredibly immersive world-building, language and enthralling structuring. All I’ll say about the plot is that it involves what Atwood would call a world of speculative fiction and a post-apocalyptic plot. They’re really clever pieces of work, and yet very readable. I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.

The Glass Hotel

Emily St. John Mandel

Another highly recommended book! The way Mandel creates text so thick with ideas is incredible, and when you put the book down the words you have just read seem to be circling around in your head. This book is an intricate plot involving many different characters’ lives over a vast time-frame. To say any more would really be a spoiler, but obviously it involves a hotel, some dodgy dealings and the wider ripples of financial earthquakes.

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley

I had somehow never read this classic before this year, and was very pleasantly surprised. For a book written in the 30s, it’s surprising how many of the ideas here still resonate, and the writing style comes off as incredibly full of life and witty. The idea here is that instead of a dystopian world, where everything is wrong, we have a utopian world, where everything is supposed to be perfect for everyone. The way this is achieved, and the effects it has on the people living in it, however, are very questionable indeed. It’s very thought provoking, and is a classic for a reason.

Smoke and Mirrors

Neil Gaiman

Ok, so we’re going to have a bit of Gaiman moment now, as I read a lot of books by him. To be honest, this and ‘Fragile Things’, the other collection of short stories by the same author that I read this year, sort of blur together. But this is no bad thing! A lot of Gaiman’s writing is incredibly masterful and inventive, with some very intriguing concepts and stories in these collections. They are often very dark and fantastical, and sometimes not that obvious at all. There were some that I liked more than others, but as Gaiman himself says, that’s sort of the point. I also really appreciate the short bit of text in each introduction that Gaiman provides explaining something behind the writing of each short story of poem.

Fragile Things

Neil Gaiman

I’d give pretty much the exact same review for this one as the one above, although I’d say the stories in this one generally seemed to be more intriguing and less gothic (but that’s not a general rule).

Neverwhere

Neil Gaiman

This one really is quintessential Gaiman. It’s the story of a man who finds himself in another alternative London after his life seemingly starts going down the pan. It’s an incredibly well crafted and entertaining story which acts exceptionally well as a commentary on the nature of life and the world we live in. It’s a bit Terry Pratchett, a bit Lewis Carroll and a bit C.S. Lewis. Another recommendation from me! I think it will probably still be considered a classic in 100 years.

Stardust

Neil Gaiman

The final Gaiman book (for this year) is the most fairytale of his I’ve read yet. It’s not exceptionally long, but packs a lot into its pages. It expertly blends darkness and fantasy with very well-drawn characters and an enchantingly realised world. Its first chapter sets up that this is definitely not a fairytale for kids though, just to warn you!

The Age of Anxiety

Pete Townshend

Ok - so this is the first one of the books I read this year that I would actively not recommend. Best known for being the lead guitarist of ‘The Who’, Townshend’s book should be really interesting, as it aims to discuss people who are artistic misfits, those with ideas which some might deem crazy, but can actually be really valid. As a concept, this is fab. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it because every single woman in this book is written as a sexual object and only as a sexual object. They all mill around being ‘mysterious’ (code for the thinly-veiled-alter-ego-of-Townshend protagonist being sexually interested in them) and are described by physical features only. It became sort of sickening. So yes - hard pass I’m afraid.

Take Nothing With You

Patrick Gale

This was leant to me by my ex-English Literature A Level teacher, whose copy I still have on my bookshelf. I’d never heard of the writer or the book before, and absolutely loved this. It’s about a gay cellist with thyroid problems (honestly, I have no idea what brought me to mind) who is reflecting back on his life and his musical development. It’s about what love and music meant to him over his life and was a very very good and highly recommended read. It’s also really satisfying to read as a cellist, as the author also clearly plays the cello and all the details about the instrument and music are exactly right!

The Muse

Jessie Burton

The craftsmanship in this book is excellent. It’s very lengthy and descriptive, but also very immersive. The main premise is that there is a piece of art in the present day that seems to be a bit mysterious to different people in different ways, and we also follow the story of how it was created in the past. There is no huge conclusion or twist (the central ‘reveal’ was very guessable) but the questions it throws up on its long journey are interesting and stimulating, and the characters become very real to you by the end.

The Wintertime Paradox

Dave Rudden

Yes, I really do like Doctor Who, I think it’s great, and this book is great too. Dave Rudden’s storytelling and ideas are phenomenal, and each of the 12 short stories in here flew by. Each concept is completely original and fills in little holes left by the actual show. In many ways, it also acts as a sequel to his previous book of short stories ‘Twelve Angels Weeping’. It’s also rather impressively got a thread going through each of the stories which concludes in the final one, much like a series arc. A very enjoyable read for the winter, and I’d also highly recommend ‘Twelve Angels Weeping’!

Mr Norris Changes Trains

Christopher Isherwood

Isherwood’s narrative voice is incredibly compelling, and this book really captures the wittiness of its characters and the context of pre-war Berlin incredibly vividly. I still have the second of the ‘Berlin Novels’ to read this year. I think it’s fair enough to say that Isherwood’s fiction is quite unlike anything else. I confess, I did lose the plot a little towards the middle, as it’s very driven by subtext and conversations, but it’s still very much worth the read.

A Small Revolution in Germany

Philip Hensher

This is a puzzler for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. It starts out very wittily and interestingly, examining youth and politics and subversion, but unfortunately it seems to veer into the territory of the writer’s personal voice and views coming through far too heavily, almost as if he is showing off. My least favourite bit is when the two main characters share some actively transphobic views with each other for no apparent reason. I can see the appeal of this sort of book though - it is light on plot and very heavy on character, and is set in three distinct settings in which very little actually happens (most of the action takes place between each part and is reflected on). Which can be satisfying, interesting and immersive. It’s also quite difficult to read because there are NO CHAPTERS for some reason. It’s basically just continuous prose. Hmm…

Burn

Patrick Ness

Ness is probably my favourite author ever, and this doesn’t disappoint. It’s technically YA fiction, but I don’t think that really closes anyone off from reading it. If I told you what this was about, you wouldn’t believe me, but basically it’s dragons, assassins and the cold war. It makes a proper shift in genre half-way through as well, if that’s even possible. It’s incredibly vivid and touching in places, and would make a fantastic TV serial (much better than the film of ‘Chaos Walking’ looks like it’s turning out to be…)

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race

Reni Eddo-Lodge

Absolutely the most important book I’ve read this year, and honestly this should be compulsory reading. This year, systematic racism and internal unconscious bias has been really brought to everyone’s attention after the awful killing of George Floyd. This book was written three years before, but its message is still hugely challenging and important. It has opened my eyes to so many things that my white privilege has allowed me to be ignorant of, and is crystal clear on so many issues that people seem to be turning into a debate. The answer is simple, black lives matter, and it is white people who need to take action and eliminate their own privilege if we’re going to move towards a fairer society for black people. This book is proof that this is not up for debate.

Sharp Objects

Gillian Flynn

I enjoyed this far more than I probably should have given the subject matter. Flynn is the master of a dark and twisted thriller with dark and twisted characters. The central mystery is relatively simple, and the solution can only really be one of a small number of things, yet it keeps you guessing right until the very end, and feels satisfying on conclusion (which many books in this genre fail to do well).

Deception Point

Dan Brown

Another one I unfortunately would not recommend. I thought I liked Dan Brown a bit more than this, but this one is a real letdown. First of all, and most importantly, the main character, Rachel Sexton (yep…), while not exactly two-dimensional, apparently needs the assistance of a man in being identified by others and surviving multiple outlandish scenarios. There’s even a bit where sharks are circling a boat which she is on, and there’s a tornado. I mean… come on. Nah.

Starter for Ten

David Nicholls

This book is a real joy - its characters seem so real and its humour actually succeeds at being funny and slightly unexpected. It’s not hugely weighty or particularly meaningful, but is very readable and good fun. My opinion of it might have been slightly coloured by the fact that I read a fair chunk of this while recovering from general anaesthetic, so perhaps it is in fact rubbish… but I don’t think so!

Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro

Another big recommend if you haven’t already read it! This is a very bleak one, so be warned. The book seems to be about the life of some children in a private school, but things gradually reveal themselves, eventually changing the genre of the book altogether. The twist is that there is no big twist - just creeping realisation. It’s completely masterful.

So - 21 books there, perhaps I can fittingly match that amount this year? I won’t promise anything, but I hope you’ve at least found one or two books you might like to read in that list. I certainly enjoyed reading the vast majority of them! Hopefully I will do something similar again in a years’ time - I’ve got a very full bookcase and lots of books on there I’ve not read yet…