20 Books of 2020 (Pt.13)

I think I've identified the kind of literature I'm reading more and that's Golden Age British Crime Fiction. However, I'm still concentrating on keeping myself attached to reality by reading nonfiction. Unfortunately enough, I haven't really had the taste for fantasy or YA recently as I normally would - which is bothering me. I don't want to think I have grown out of it because they are some of my favourites. However, I won't read something I'm not in the mood to read. I only ever read this much for entertainment.

Welcome to Part 13 of our journey through 20 books of 2020. Previously, you'll remember I was on a bit of a crime binge and I honestly still am. However, I was also reading the works of James Shapiro which I found absolutely fascinating. If you haven't read Shakespeare in a Divided America already then I suggest you do as soon as possible. It really is something to be admired. Shapiro's writing is incredible and he knows so much about his subject that you cannot help but think that his books are real achievements of literature and knowledge.

Well, this is part 13 and that means we're going to be looking at numbers 241 through to 260 as we carry on through 20 books of 2020. If you don't understand ow this works then allow me to briefly explain. Every 20 books I read, I write an article about them and what I enjoyed about the books and what I didn't. They're kind of like a mini-review. Then, I'll post them up, hopefully alongside another article in which I go through a top ten of my favourite books of all time in a certain genre, time or publication. During the COVID-19 outbreak, things have been speeding up with my reading and I find myself publishing these articles every week or so. It's been a wild ride so far through my reading process and you can visit my public page to see how that's holding up on the other sections from number 1 all the way through to now.

I hope you enjoy this section as much as I did writing it...

241-250

241. Fell Murder by ECR Lorac

This book is about the Garth family who live on a massive farm. One day, the patriarch is found shot dead and everyone points fingers at the lazy and hated brother, Malcolm. However, when it comes to the inspector's knowledge that it couldn't have been Malcolm - eyes turn towards other people. From family secrets to affairs in the household, from an estranged older half-brother to who the inheritance money is going to, this mystery seems to unravel just as someone commits suicide by shooting themselves. This is an excellent drama of events and it turns and sweeps all the way through. I don't know whether I've said this before but the thing I love about ECR Lorac is the way in which the characters are close-knit and there's a very small cast. It makes things all the more tense and anxious. Everything heightens when people start pointing fingers at other people and you can really see the family tensions grinding and heating throughout the novel.

242. Seven Dead by J. Jefferson Farjeon

I absolutely devoured this book. I really do love the works of J Jefferson Farjeon. Not only does he reference his previous book Thirteen Guests in there, but this book gets very dark, very quickly. In this book, the great Inspector Kendall is frightened to discover seven dead bodies in the room of a house called Haven House. After this, he goes through each other member who is there - from a French Couple, a man who pretends not to speak English, a woman called Dora who is prone to fainting and some odd man by the name of Dr. Jones who fails to turn up for almost half of the book. After finding a strange bicycle in a ditch and two dead cats, Kendall feels like he may know who it is. Or is someone just playing a huge trick on him? This book was absolutely amazing, Jefferson Farjeon knows a thing or two about how to give you the damn creeps!

243. The Murder of My Aunt by Richard Hull

This is about a man called Edward who hates his aunt so much that he plans to kill her. He plans to poison her and have an alibi for being at a friend's house whilst it happens and then, due to some sort of powder - the house is supposed to burn down. However, it doesn't go according to plan and he doesn't use the poison correctly and the house doesn't burn down - just his wardrobe. His aunt survives. This book is written a lot in both past and present tense and so, you watch as the book unfolds. The last chapter is told by his aunt and with a weird twist in the tale - there are other tensions and secrets not yet discovered that may lead us on to why Edward hates his aunt Mildred so damn much. This book is one of those where you need to read it closely and understand each and every step of what is happening to understand what the conclusion is and why it happens at all. With this faltered murder of an aunt, the question is of whether he succeeds in the end and what really happens? It's shrouded in mystery.

244. The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters by Adam Nicolson

This book is incredible. It is about one man's experiences reading Homer at first and then, it goes through translations, literary criticism and other things that make Homer important in our own modern day. He spends a very long time talking about the Odyssey. The one thing I liked about this book the most is that it isn't just criticism on top of criticism on top of more criticism. It isn't all knowledge and no substance. It's a personal story of someone travelling, re-reading Homer, trying to understand why he read it once in Greek. It's about a man's journey reading Homer in English, finding the best translations, sharing the history with us and why these books are so important to him. I love what he has to say about Goethe's quotation on Homer early on in the book. I just overall thought this book was beautifully written.

245. The Lake District Murder by John Bude

Some guy is found dead in his car and well, there is clearly a motive of money seeing as he was a businessman. However, with nobody around there seems to also be the possibility of suicide - but that is quickly ruled out. From then on, Inspector Meredith goes around questioning these shady men and trying to gain an insight into the dead man, called Jack Clayton, and what exactly people wanted out of him. The ending surprised me more than usual because of the fact it really wasn't clear who it was at all and then, when you add everything together you find out that more than one person is hiding things from the inspector. The reason why they're hiding these things is obviously for personal gain, but not everyone who is hiding something is the murderer and the murderer doesn't hold all the secrets. It really is a twisted jigsaw puzzle of a book.

246. The Hog’s Back Mystery by Freeman Wills Crofts

Well this one started off plain and simple - it looked like a missing person case. Then it evolved into a runaway case. Then it turned into a murder. And then another murder. And then people connected to the murder. And then affairs and monetary gain and people who created tensions with other people. There were people who wouldn't talk like Mr. Slade at first. Then there were shifty people the investigator considered important such as Julia, Ursula and others. I cannot tell you how far out I was when I tried to guess the ending because it's frankly embarrassing. I was so far out and yet, I love the way it was written because it leads you down one route of thinking a particular way - and you can't help it. However, the entire time the answer is literally in front of your face and it's only when you finish the book that you realise that the answer has been there from the beginning.

247. It Walks by Night by John Dickson Carr

This is probably the most graphic of the books I've read by John Dickson Carr because of the fact the man who dies is badly mangled and his head is apparently severed from his body. However, I do like the description of when the police find out that the murder happened within ten minutes. It is one of those cases where everything was guarded but nobody saw anything. But in reality, there are people willing to protect others, some are lying, some have motives and some - well some are just in it because they were pulled into it. The one thing I love about John Dickson Carr's writing is the fact that he always creates a lot of atmosphere. Everything is creepy and eerie and not quite right - it makes you feel just all uncomfortable and shuddery. I happened to love this book and everything about it. You will never ever guess the ending in a million years.

248. Antidote to Venom by Freeman Wills Croft

This one is quite pleasing because the character (George) is so damn human. He's a normal person with a normal job, but then his marriage is put in jeopardy when he meets another woman, then the animals at his zoo get sick and that puts his job in jeopardy and then, a bunch of other things go wrong too. He is financially in the shit when his aunt is coming over for dinner and, to his surprise, he begins to think about what would happen if she were to die. He is horrified, at first, by his own thoughts. But that's just the thing - he's only horrified at first. After a while, he almost starts to get used to it. Watch as this man tries to commit a financially motivated murder to save his own life. The question is - if not his aunt, who will he kill? And if he does kill his aunt - will he kill again? It's a brilliant book of twisted humanity and I love things like this, you must read it. It is very skilfully written.

249. Basic Black With Pearls by Helen Weinzweig

This book is something I enjoyed way more than I thought I would. It is about a woman in an affair with a man that sends her travelling all over the world. Her husband in reality is an asshole. But, in this affair, the man she is with asks her to come to Toronto to be with him and in Toronto, she meets some really interesting people who each have some really sad stories to tell about love, life and death. It is a really cautious story about living in a world you don't know, looking for a person you can't be sure of. The man she's in an affair with is a spy and an agent and so, she has to be very very careful she doesn't cross the line. But, with alias names herself - she is duplicitous and strange in nature. Faking a limp at one point, she will do anything to get to this man - or would she? It's a very character-orientated book and that's what I love about it. As we go through, we learn more about her horrid childhood and growth. We learn more about her husband and her losses and most importantly, her identities.

250. Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne

This book was interesting because in ways, it reminded me of Castle Skull I read a while back. It's kind of a religious-based horror blended in with the main genre of crime. A man's sister is stabbed to death whilst praying in her own house. After this, there are internal affairs, lost parentage, more bodies come about and a woman is drowned. Some people question whether the giant house they live in is cursed or haunted - but ultimately, an inspector is sent in to investigate the terror. There is definitely an overcast of doom and gloom in this book as you keep going back to the death of the woman on the first few pages. There is something not quite right about the whole situation and I think you're in for a nasty surprise when you realise what really happened on those fateful days. Wynne is great at creating atmosphere. I really liked the sense that some of the characters were highly religious and were therefore, questioning whether the house or family was haunted or possessed. There was a very eerie vibe that went through the entire book and the whole thing fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

251-260

251. Going to the Dogs by Erich Kastner

I'm not going to lie, this one wasn't all that great. I don't like feeling too distant from the characters in the sense that I can't really get inside their heads. If you're writing in third person - there's a way you can get inside the character's head. But with this book, I felt a bit of a wall between me and Fabian. Even with the changing landscape and political stance. I felt closer to the history of the country and the way in which the changes were changing the people around our character. I have no idea whether that was the writer's intention but I would've found more comfort in being more at one with Fabian. However, I did enjoy the political scenery - as it changed, the entire outlook on life changed, the hedonism changed, the morality changed and ultimately - Fabian changed, or rather was forced to change, with it.

252. Death Has Deep Roots by Michael Gilbert

This one is mostly set in a courtroom and it deals with a woman who is on trial, her name is Victoria. As the story goes on, you begin to realise details of Victoria's life that you didn't know and, you also become part of the jury that is going to sentence her as either guilty or not guilty. After this, the book details several witnesses of the crime and what they were doing at the time. I don't really like this guy called Rumbold because I find him very aloof and kind of shifty. He is a witness but he is also a strange character himself. I really enjoyed this book because of its structure. It doesn't have the regular structure of a crime novel and kind of reminded me of Verdict of Twelve, that I read some time ago. The character personalities were very strong and with a backdrop of the war, everything seems like it is going so horribly wrong all at once. I enjoyed this one so much, I read the entire thing in one sitting!

253. Calamity in Kent by John Rowland

This was much better than I thought it would be. From the beginning, it seems fairly normal as this arrogant journalist mopes around. But then, a man named Aloysius Bender is met and they soon discover he runs the lifts by the beach. When he unlocks them for the morning, there's a dead body in there. The police are called and the journalist (James London) is roped in to help them uncover things to do with the crime. A man named Watford who also has another name, a couple named Maya and Tim and even Aloysius Bender are made out to be possible suspects. But when the dead man's wife-to-be accuses someone of murder, things spin out of control. Throughout this book we uncover strange black notebooks, a drug ring, an illegal metal industry and another dead body that turns up in the lifts. The only problem is that we have no idea who has the spare keys to the lifts. It will take all of London's knowledge and power to find out what has really gone down and exactly why.

254. Revenge by Yoko Ogawa

I feel like I'm going to scream after reading this book. This was, by far, one of the best reading experiences I've had all year. Every single small story in this book is told by a different narrator and yet, every single one of them is connected in some way. There are various motifs that you need to understand throughout the book such as: strawberry cake, kiwis, carrots, writing, communication, eating in restaurants and cafes, death and affairs in relationships are only some of them. I loved this book because I was so consumed by it. Every single connection is so subtle and yet it is very much there and a part of it. There are stories within stories and characters seem to live other people's lives as they go on. The ending is both confounding and yet, offers a strange sense of closure. To be honest, when you've been through the entirety of this book, the ending offers some sort of closure. It doesn't leave you on the edge or anything - you get a strangely comforting round-off. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this book. It was a brilliant mixture of love and murder in a place that was haunted by the ghost of every single person who had died in the novel.

255. Journeys by Stefan Zweig

Stefan Zweig's writing is always so damn beautiful and emotional that I can hardly contain myself whilst reading it. You may remember that on my list of the Ten Most Emotional Books I've Ever Read - there was The Post-Office Girl by Stefan Zweig. The writing style of that is very similar to this one. There seems to be an undertone of sadness whenever Zweig writes anything and this book is no exception. It's about Zweig's travels and I especially like the entries about Bruges and Italy. They seem to be the most beautifully written in my opinion. But, I do like the entire book overall because, again, the writing style is ethereal. Zweig manages to give us a view of some of the most popular places in the world but also, undertones it with the sadness of his own times and colours it with a fresh but bleak outlook that looks to the past for advice and looks to the future with extreme caution. Zweig is an absolute genius and he's just what I need in quarantine. I found the reading of this book was very similar as to when I read Zweig's Impatience of the Heart because it's so damn beautiful, sad and intense all the time. He ravages my soul.

256. Family Matters by Anthony Rolls

This book is about a horrible little couple who cannot stand the sight of each other. They live together and the wife, Bertha, seems to get an eye for a new man that moves to town. The husband suspects something is up but because he's so superstitious, he spends most of his time making a fool out of himself. The couple seem to have no friends bar this one stranger. The stranger and the husband really don't get on and when things start to go wrong, man do they really go wrong. I don't want to tell you exactly what happens next but I think you know what's going to happen. This book is completely immersive and has the strangest characters because they all seem to absolutely despise each other. I loved it because the characters were such strong personalities and always fighting, never getting along and yet, they remained in the same space for so long. You couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. It was truly brilliant. I love Anthony Rolls' works now!

257. Death Makes A Prophet by John Bude

This one is a cult drama. At first, I thought it was a bit shallow and it wasn't my favourite by Bude. But, it takes some time because the murder itself doesn't take place until about just after half way through the novel. For the first half, you're with Inspector Meredith and following around this cult as well. It's all religion and superstition until something very real happens - death. When this takes place, you're flung into a world of many possibilities and many suspects. It becomes less of a cult novel and more of a crime thriller. You then get a fast-paced, personality-packed psychodrama of events. Everything becomes twisted and in the end, the truth gets the better of everyone. It is very well-paced and well written but you'll only realise that when you've read the whole book. The control of pace is actually incredible and I wish I could do that.

258. A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes

I have to admit that sometimes, this book was pretty difficult to read. Not in a literary sense, but in an emotional one. At first, we witness the children becoming very scared by the weather, it's hurricanes and thunderstorms and things catch fire. After this, when the pirates become involved, we witness children murdered, people performing acts of abuse upon the children and these are definitely pirates depicted as how they really were - brutal. This book is definitely not light-hearted about anything. Everything has a dark and oppressive undertone and when you read it, you cannot help but feel sorry for certain characters. At first, it is difficult to connect with the children because they live on a plantation and then they're sent away. But, the most difficult thing to read is the abuse. It's absolutely wretched and not for the weak-minded. I cannot stress enough how upset this book will make you. Also, the courtroom scene is quite emotional - I think I almost cried.

259. The Wreck of the Mary Deare by Hammond Innes

This is one of the most out-there books I’ve read this year and I’ll tell you exactly why. The book starts off in the middle of the action aboard a yacht called “Sea Witch” and it looks like the ship - the “Mary Deare” is going to go straight into it. The only problem is, nobody aboard the yacht can see a single crew member aboard the ship. This makes a man called John Sands (aboard the yacht) curious and he goes aboard the Mary Deare to check it out. A captain called Patch is aboard and, caught in a storm, Sands is unable to return to the yacht so sticks around with Patch. After this, the story of why the Mary Deare has no crew and why there were explosives aboard the ship becomes weirder and weirder, darker and darker as Sands and this madman begin to understand things more and more. Eventually, it leads to a murder that happened a while before the story of Sands aboard the ship began...

260. Elephant by Raymond Carver

I’m pretty sure that when it comes to writing emotions in the most humane way possible, Raymond Carver is definitely in the top five. This book is Carver’s final set of stories and contains some of the most exciting works from the writer’s classic style of the mundane mixed with the profound and highly emotive. One thing I love about Carver that I see in this book is within a story called “Intimacy” in which a man is on his knees begging for forgiveness from a woman. The thing I love is that Carver has the most mundane description of it but yet, it is the most incredible scene because he seems to breathe life into each particular thought of the characters through the things they’re not saying, through their silences. It is such an important book to understand how writing is really done properly. Especially when it comes to humans being humans.