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20 Books of 2020 (Pt. 29)

561-580

By Annie KapurPublished 4 years ago 11 min read
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Today I would like to say a few words about pairing classic literature with a favourite drink. Now, I've always been one to love a drink whilst doing some classic reading not only because it helps with the mood and ease into it, but also because it helps somewhat with the atmosphere. I say 'somewhat' because it helps with the atmosphere when you've got the correct drink for the book. Now, you can interpret this 'correct drink' as you wish, but here are a few of mine that I would like to share with you:

1) "Brideshead Revisited" by Evelyn Waugh paired with a glass of red wine. Now there is nothing better to drink than one of Lord Sebastian Flyte's favourite drinks in the book - red wine. Ultimately, alcohol ends up being his vice. I actually would stick to one glass since you probably won't be able to read the book if you drink too much.

2) "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac paired with a very strong cup of dark milk-less coffee. There is really only one way to drink coffee and that's without sugar or milk (in my opinion anyway). But, when it comes to reading Kerouac, if you're not familiar with drinking coffee that way, you'd probably want to try it. It really sets that sort of strong, beatnik atmosphere into the air and the smell is just divine.

3) "Confessions of a Mask" by Yukio Mishima paired with a shot of white rum or gin (flavouring optional). "Confessions of a Mask" is really that kind of book where you require something hard and strong to sip on as you encounter the emotional wreckage of the novel. Most of Mishima's texts are best paired with rum and gin - but please stick to one shot and one shot only.

Now with that said and done, I'd like to continue on with our list. This is numbers 561 through to 580...

561. The Penguin Book of Greek Fiction

Greek Fiction has always been an interest of mine and when it comes to the affairs of the Gods, the way in which love and death are presented and even the Greek Political outline - these are just an anthology of the most incredible pieces of Greek Stories I've read in a long time. I love the way they flow with preciseness and how people practically beg for their own deaths. One man kills and then begs to be executed because of his shame. It's amazing.

562. The Death of Napoleon by Simon Leys

This book was funnier than the cover made it out to be. It's about a man called Eugene who is actually Napoleon Bonaparte. He's on a ship where people make fun of him and say he 'looks like Napoleon'. When he reaches Waterloo, he realises he doesn't remember anything about this place that has now become a tourist attraction. Throughout the book, we go on one long identity crisis with Eugene and in the end, you don't know whether he is actually Napoleon or he just thinks he is.

563. Black Wings Has My Angel by Elliot Chaze

This noir classic is actually very good though I'd never heard of the book or the author before I'd read it. It's about a man who basically wants to perform a heist, but it's a two-person job. He meets a woman called Virginia who just might be able to help him but first, he has to persuade her. She's a hard nut to crack even though they both seem to want the same thing. However, the woman might just be smarter than him as well.

564. Contempt by Alberto Moravia

I loved this book because it was about a disintegrating marriage like the books of Richard Yates, Nevil Shute and Raymond Carver. This one has a darker intensity though. It's about a screenwriter who wants to do something more, he wants to make a mark, but his wife is more set on him making his next bit of money and tells him to take a job as a screenwriter. When it comes down to it, she's always asking how much it'll pay as if the pay matters more than the life of the man. Through contempt, he ponders on, his dream is practically wasting before him.

565. A King Alone by Jean Giono

This book is about a man who lives alone just above a small village. When winter hits the village, people start going missing and bodies begin to turn up. The man comes down from his hide-out to help out and is immediately give sole responsibility of solving these crimes. But these people are not only going to realise that you get what you pay for, but they're also going to realise how fear can absolutely grip you and leave you freezing in the snow.

566. The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs

I loved this book so much, you don't understand. Not only do you get the sweet poems of old, but you also get the manuscript of music with it. You can sing it in your head whilst reading it and so it makes the reading experience double good! I particularly love the ones about romance, death and the sea. English Folk Songs really do have a great, memorable vibe to them.

567. A Shepherd’s Life by WH Hudson

This book is all about a man who writes about his appreciation of Wiltshire and the downs. It's a shepherd who thinks that the life in Wiltshire is really underrated and even though it may not have a lot of tourism, it is just as beautiful as the tourist destinations - if not more so. It is one of the most serene things I've ever read - perfect for a nice summer's day.

568. A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising by Miron Bialoszewski

This book was absolutely heartbreaking. Set in the Nazi siege of Poland in 1944, this book is about how everywhere and anywhere in Warsaw is being bombed, tanked and shot up in the midst of world war 2. One man tries to run but instead he records the sights of corpses, the explosion of a children's school and many more atrocities. It is very graphic and it is very raw, packed full of urgency.

569. An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie

One of the greatest travel narratives I've ever read. This book is about a young man who reads about Greenland as a teenager in West Africa. From then on, he is determined to go there and travel. When he finally reaches Greenland, we get this awesome travel narrative of a man who seems to be experiencing this way of life, completely different to his own, for the very first time. It is absolutely beautiful.

570. How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis

This book is an absolutely heartbreaking account of the lifestyle you have never heard of. Thinking of New York, you probably think about the high life, the rich and the thoroughly white, middle class. But this is the other side. These are the slums of New York in a moving, heartache of a classic book. And it's all non-fiction so it's even scarier. There are people probably living like this now and you'll never know unless you open your eyes.

571. The Grand Hotel by Vicki Baum

This Weimar-Era classic makes for an excellent summer read because of its dark humour. A number of different personalities come together to make this drama within the confines of a hotel an instant turbulent tension of character, history and culture. From the British to the German and even the Russian, they're all trapped in this together and all the personalities are as flawed as each other!

572. Tottel’s Miscellany

A book of strange love poems, dark poems and sonnets from an era where poetry was all the rich rage. This book is a collection of poems I've never read before in my life and yet, they were super interesting. They're all written in super old English and they have a strange way of moving you, rhythmically they are pretty out there and some of them are long, drawn out and atmospheric - so you can imagine how much I'm enjoying them!

573. The French Revolution by Thomas Carlyle

One of the greatest books to ever be written about the French Revolution, it has to be one of the great books to read before you die purely because of the way it asks you all of the most iconic questions of what is worth dying for. It's like reading a really long version of the song "21 Guns" by Green Day. It starts with the Death of Louis XV and goes on, through to revolution and what happens as a result of it.

574. The Secret Commonwealth by Robert Kirk

This book is written by a churchman and is all about the existence and actions of fairies, elves and other fantastical creatures. It's not really written in a story style, but instead as an essay - it's written as these characters actually existing in our world and what place they hold in folklore. It is a magical book and I say that with caution because it's not really about magic. It is about what they do and why they do it. It's like a book on their existence within our world.

575. The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by GB Edwards

This book starts off pretty light and meaningful. Ebenezer Le Page is an 80 year old man who wants to write his life story. He begins by explaining his parents' situation and how he spent his time as a child. But then his father passes away when he's a young man just when his sister gets married. From then on, the tale turns darker and darker, Le Page reveals secrets about his family and when you put it all together, he has had a pretty tough existence. It hasn't been easy living with all that locked up inside of you.

576. The Atom Station by Halldor Laxness

This book was hefty on the difference between the bourgeoisie and the poor. There's a part in this book that stuck out to me when this conservative rich woman is complaining about the maid's hair because it's like mud. The maid herself likes to read and is quite liberal and thus, it shows us a clear divide between two women who else, have a bit in common. Their political beliefs are held differently in the fact they have had different lifestyles. One if full of privilege and the other, there is no privilege.

577. Henry and Cato by Iris Murdoch

This book is about a man called Henry who has just learned that his brother, Sandy, has died in a car accident. Whilst he returns to England from America to claim his inheritance from the brother he was always jealous of - a lifeless existentialist called Cato Forbes tries to shoot himself on a bridge, but can't bring himself to do it. As one exile returns and another man finds a reason to live, this dark and twisted realist tale will bring one man closer to the other in a machiavellian masterpiece.

578. News from Nowhere and Other Writings by William Morris

Now, I'm sure a lot of you have heard about who William Morris is, he was an incredibly famous print designer and artist. In this book he outlines his philosophies. On everything from religion to decor to aesthetics, William Morris is very clear about his positions on fashions and trends. He is an extremely hard-working individual and it is clear from the way he writes that he knows exactly what he's talking about. With years of experience under his belt, he shows us exactly where we stand with the trends of the 19th century.

579. Daphnis and Chloe by Longus

I read this story in a simplified form many years ago, but I've never actually read the real thing. It was such a treat to be able to read the story of Daphnis and Chloe in the dark mysticism of Ancient Greece. I felt read for this read more than ever and the translation made it even more beautiful. I can definitely recommend the Penguin Classics Translation of this book, especially if you've read or heard of this classical and dark tale.

580. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

I've read this book so many times I've just stopped counting now. I initially read it again because I was writing a small article on it and I started to get an itch to read it once more. The greatest journey up the Mississippi River is more relevant than ever and holds within it our own requirement to confront ourselves, our prejudices and our needs to change our future. Strikingly picturesque, it is a book that holds the absolute requirement for progression at its heart. For we need progression or we will all suffer greatly for it.

literature
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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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