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20 Books of 2020 (Pt. 20)

380-400

By Annie KapurPublished 4 years ago 15 min read
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Now that we’ve reached part 20, I want to say another big thank you to all of you who have joined me on this journey through my reading during 2020. So far we have been through my 24th birthday reading, through the journey of my obsession with the British Library Crime Classics books and finally, through a global pandemic nicknamed “the plague”. Hopefully, we will recover from that latter one soon and so will your own countries. For part 20, I wanted to discuss something very close to my heart when it comes to books and that is what I appreciate in a good novel.

The first aspect I appreciate in a good novel is atmosphere. I love a lot of heavy, descriptive atmosphere. I like to feel like I am within the confines of the book, lost in its seasons and senses and making a story out of something as simple as a garden, a city street or a shopfront - these are the things that need character for me to begin with. Any book that has a strong atmosphere has immediately grabbed me.

The second aspect I appreciate is some sort of commentary on the human condition and the experiences of being human. This does not only mean the highly tense and emotional characters of the Russian Golden Age, but also means the deceptive and two-faced natures of greedy and lustful characters from the British Crime Golden Age. It also means the lack of life felt within the depressed characters of the post-modern age and the PTSD of the Great War, the displacement of life in the modernist age, the feeling of uselessness that came with the Victorian Age and yes, even the tragic and lonesome rural characters of the Southern Gothic. Every aspect of the human condition must be explored in order to be understood and in some stories, some aspects are far more poignant than others.

The third and final aspect I want to talk about is characterisation. The character must not just appear to be commenting on the human condition and its extremes through their own experiences, but they must also be able to be a person. Being a person means to function as a human being, believable in their position and social class, believable of their gender and race, believable of their intentions for the book. Acting out of character would only be acceptable if impulsiveness was ironically a definitive character trait of the person we’re talking about. But whether it is the pomp of the upper class in Anna Karenina or whether it is the poverty of The Grapes of Wrath - the characters must be believable and thoroughly explored in order for the reader to develop a connection with them.

Let’s get on with this 20th list then….

381. The Stories of JF Powers

Another delve into the divide of Catholicism and Materialism in the United States during the mid-to-late 20th Century and though it is not as good as his novels (in my opinion), I did read stories that reminded me of the short stories of Raymond Carver, and some that had the wit and intellect along the same lines as Evelyn Waugh. I will still say though, Morte D'Urban is still my favourite book by Powers so far. I find that the novel has the same themes and details and the short stories, but manages with the eccentric main character, to expand on them more.

382. Notes from an Apocalypse by Mark O’Connell

I'm not entirely sure whether I enjoyed this book or not. A lot of it was rather disconnected. One minute it was about the doomsday preparations by some weird American people, then it was a personal anecdote of him sitting with his child and his wife in despair at his interest in the end of the world, but then again it was about climate change as well. I think naturally, this book, however well written, didn't really have a sense of direction. It was not organised well and for me, it just didn't do enough to get my thumbs up. Consider me somewhere in the middle when it comes to this book.

383. Confessions by Kanae Minato

This book scared the living crap out of me. First of all, the book is narrated by many different people - the first is the teacher, mother of the child that died. The next one is a student from her class, the sister of one of the boys involved in an incident and various other people throughout the book. We see a plot unfold that starts with the death of the teacher's daughter - Minami - she was found drowned in a pool. After this, the teacher seeks revenge in the most disgusting way possible. I thought she was going to kill them, but it is something much, much worse and it involves milk cartons. The ending is so damn horrible, but then again there's so much closure. This is one you won't be able to forget - don't read it at night. No, there's no ghosts or supernatural stuff - in fact, everything feels far too real.

384. A Sorrow Beyond Dreams by Peter Handke

I felt really bad for this guy. He lost his mother to suicide and he just can't seem to get over it. There's something really upsetting that carries on throughout this book and even the slightly happier moments don't feel so happy at all. It's like the book has this undertone of depression that just rips out your heart. It doesn't matter how short it is, it is still able to evoke quite a bit of emotion.

385. Elizabethan and Jacobean Prose 1550-1620 by Kenneth Muir

The Elizabethan and Jacobean collection of writing by Pelican Books is pretty great and here's why. It takes you through all the stuff that wasn't a play or a drama, there are stories and articles, strange things written by obscure people you've never heard of and the prose is rich not only with the Early Modern English language, but also with the history of the British Renaissance that was just so classic. The atmosphere just killed me. The prose was perfect. A big thank you to this book for even existing.

386. When I Was Old by Georges Simenon

As much as I like the writing of Georges Simenon and as much as I liked books such as "The Pitards" and "The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By", I can honestly say that his life story is somewhat disinteresting to me. Not because I didn't find his life fulfilling, I think it is because of the way he wrote about it. There are several instances in this book where he goes on about keeping notebooks and diaries, whilst this book is one of his notebooks/diaries from the 60s. I think that these sections could've been cut down slightly to make more room for the story because my god does he go on about those notebooks and diaries for a long ass time.

387. A Great and Terrible King by Marc Morris

There is no doubt that Edward I was a terrifying human being that forged the way and plans for people like Adolf Hitler and the anti-semitic practices of the later centuries. When it comes to his politics, Edward I is fairly unknown in any other way than a war lord. When I read this book, I got a great insight into how he followed his father and yet, changed England entirely from his father's rule. I got an insight into his power plays and how his wife was in on it. Ultimately, Edward I would both succeed and fail because he succeeded in forging a racially insensitive world towards the Jewish people (which, if you read about it, was more horrible than you can imagine) but he failed to keep it up. When his son Edward II came to the throne, England would change yet again.

388. Nostradamus: A Life and Myth by John Hogue

This was fairly interesting because I've read books by Nostradamus but I've never read a book about him before. This was a strange discovery because it wasn't necessarily and entirely in time order. It was split into strange sections that were each in time order but made startling references to Nostradamus's future (yes, I see what I've just said) and I didn't think it was very well written. I found it to almost dumb Nostradamus down in order to make him understandable. But I think that the point of Nostradamus is that we don't understand him or what he did - that's why he's so fascinating.

389. Tender Buttons by Gertrude Stein

This book is all about random objects and food in the sense that each prose-poem is about a different object in part one and then a different food in part two. I found it began very well and I actually enjoyed reading it (though I don't really enjoy prose-poetry that much) however, as the book moved on, I saw many of the earlier mechanisms for depicting thought repeated so often that it could get tedious by around the middle of part two if you didn't like this sort of thing at all. I was surprised because I've never really been disappointed by Gertrude Stein before.

390. A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit

This was a book that I'd seen around a lot before I'd read it. I'd seen it in shop windows, in the arms of classmates and even Eddie Redmayne spoke about it once. So, I decided to give it a read to learn what it was all about and my god, it was amazing. To read it is something else entirely. It's told like a half-philosophy text and half-memoir and it teaches you about 'getting lost' in the unfamiliar and 'losing' the familiar as two of the same emotions of 'loss'. And then, the writer goes through their own experiences with loss and losing things. It is a brilliant text filled with amazing linguistics and references to writers and artists alike that you'll find delightful.

391. Bullet Park by John Cheever

Now, I read Cheever's shorter works a long time ago and I now only decided to have a go at his longer works. I wasn't impressed that the two main characters were called Nailles and Hammer, that seemed a bit cheesy to me. Anyways, you can really tell that it's trying to be a cross between Raymond Carver and Richard Yates. There's all the dry subtlety of humanity that Carver has going on, and then there's the trying humanity of Yates in which the character is on the verge of both something fantastic and a nervous breakdown at the same time. But, I think this book fails in its use of language. It doesn't spend a lot of time in contemplation like the other two writers do, and I didn't feel as connected or immersed in the book as I was with Yates or Carver.

392. Chroma by Derek Jarman

If you know me then you know that Derek Jarman is one of my favourite people in the whole world ever. He seems like the kind of guy that you just want to give a big hug to. This book proves that he is one of the most intelligent people of the 20th century because he is able to do one thing that many people spend all their lives trying to do - describe colour. In the final year of his life, Derek Jarman is losing his sight, his ability to walk and most of his senses - but he is still able to pen this great philosophical novel about experiencing colours and their stories in different ways over different times. I loved the chapter about shadow because it really put everything into perspective of real life.

393. The Grand Babylon Hotel by Arnold Bennett

This half-crime, half-humour novel is the perfect addition to a hot day. It's an amazing book about a man who buys a hotel in the midst of his daughter's birthday and then, with a man called Jules' help, things start to go from bad to worse. Crimes are committed, people are found dead and a prince falls in love with the rich heiress he is unable to marry unless he renounces his title. There's so many little sub-stories in here that it makes it absolutely tantalising to read. When the book comes to a suicide attempt, things turn dark and brooding...

394. The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima

This book was pretty amazing and is well on its way to becoming one of my favourite Mishima novels ever. It's about a boy and his father who together find this temple absolutely amazing. His father is a priest and the son wants to be one, but has a stutter to overcome first. When his father dies, this boy takes a spiritual journey in self-discovery and the ending (though I won't tell you what happens) is the most poignant part of the book. It will only make sense if you read the whole thing (and very carefully too!)

395. The Wind Off the Island by Ernle Bradford

I'm not going to lie to you, this book didn't live up to my expectations. I was hoping for more. Don't get me wrong, the atmosphere of Sicily, the ocean and the language is absolutely beautiful - it almost takes your breath away. But, there isn't much else and in a good book, there has to be balance. I found this to lose the story too much in explanation. There was a lot of telling and not showing, that's why I didn't find it overly immersive. The concept is a good idea, it just wasn't executed to my personal liking.

396. All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West

This book is about a man called Lord Sloane who dies, leaving his wife to pretty much fend for herself. But his wife doesn't react as you'd think. She isn't the sad old widow that retires to her country estate. Instead she's like a Maye Musk sort of character who moves out to another big mansion and lives her life to the full now that she is free from all oppression. She becomes a great influence amongst others and her personality begins to shine. You start to question whether the thoughts about Lord Sloane by others at the beginning of the book when he dies were really all that true at all. I mean, if his own wife is so happy after he dies, he couldn't have been that nice to her in life. The book really makes you think and it's written beautifully. I might read more Vita Sackville-West.

397. At Your Own Risk by Derek Jarman

I absolutely love Derek Jarman and his writing. This book is no different to his other books that I also love, it's actually more personal and intimate than the others as well. It is written in the last year of his life and covers gay rights, marriage, religion, the media surrounding the LGBT community and the AIDS virus and how he was himself demonised by the BBC and others. It is so upsetting to read that such a genius was condemned for his sexuality, but he overcame this as to become one of the greatest of his time and is ultimately remembered as a homosexual icon and an incredible director. He was never afraid to say what he had to say and that's probably the best thing about him.

398. The New York Stories by John O’Hara

These stories are absolutely fascinating. They're all about what life was life in different classes of New York during one of the biggest changing periods in American History - the early to mid 20th century. As you can see that the city is populated by many people from many walks of life, from a man who loses his job to a woman convincing her maid to work full time for her instead of splitting time between two people. This book is absolutely amazing and tells the stories of all these strange and wonderful people who have no idea each other exist. It's like they're all caught up in their own small world.

399. Laura by Vera Caspary

This book would've probably been more surprising if I hadn't seen the movie first. I would have loved to experience it that way however I didn't, I saw the movie a few years back. When I read this book the first thing I thought was that Wally/Waldo was gonna be an asshole - and I was right. The book is told by multiple unreliable narrators, each with a secret, each with a past that's shady and dodgy. There's far more in this book than there is in the movie. However, they do have the same ending so if you're looking for a surprise then it isn't here.

400. Dr Glas by Hjalmar Soderberg

For the 400th book of 2020, this was amazing. It's about an isolated doctor who can't find love but when he does find someone he likes, he is driven to want to commit murder for them. He talks about his history in which someone died and he blames himself for it. His story is sad, but he's not really that much of a nice human being, it's a brilliant book. It's written beautifully and the ending seems to tie everything up just right. It was such a great choice for number 400 - I'd never heard of it until now but I loved every word of it.

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About the Creator

Annie Kapur

190K+ Reads on Vocal.

English Lecturer

🎓Literature & Writing (B.A)

🎓Film & Writing (M.A)

🎓Secondary English Education (PgDipEd)

📍Birmingham, UK

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