2020 has been a year. It has happened. I certainly thought
being isolated would push me to read far more books, but it turns out the
opposite was the case. I’ve read a couple more books that haven’t been
reviewed. They’ve been class books, and I was intending to write reviews on a
couple of them, but once again, 2020 has been a year. So, including the books
that went unreviewed, here’s my 2020 reads (a few of which I looked at and went
“I read that this year?”):
- Chickenfeed
by Minette Walters
- Iron
Maiden: Legacy of the Beast by Llexi Leon, Ian Edgington, Kevin West (and more)
- Paga
by Maria Apichella
- Everything
You Ever Wanted by Luiza Sauma
- Lumberjanes:
Beware the Kitten Holy by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson,
and Brooklyn Allen
- Trainspotting
by Irvine Welsh
- This
is Why I Hate You by Greg ‘Onision’ Jackson
- Doggolescence
by Kyra the Staffy (and also Rachel Oates)
- Out
of Love by Hazel Hayes
- Psycho
by Robert Bloch
- The
Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon (unreviewed)
- Lost
in the Funhouse by John Barth (unreviewed)
- Neuromancer
by William Gibson (unreviewed)
- Mao
II by Don DeLillo (unreviewed)
- The
New York Trilogy by Paul Auster (unreviewed)
- Extremely
Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (unreviewed)
- Infinite
Jest by David Foster Wallace (unreviewed, and be glad because there would
be no way to review this in a concise way.)
So, at the point where I realised that the 50-book challenge
had gone out the window, I aimed at 20-25. I’d say 17 is close enough, and
there’s a fair whack of short stories that I read in the first half of the year.
I think I’ve done alright here. I will be aiming for 50 again next year, and I
do think I can do it, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t.
Top 10 of 2020
10.
Infinite Jest by David
Foster Wallace
Look, I wish this wasn’t here, but I spent two damn months
reading this thing, so it’s in my head. It is, as the kids say, living in my
head rent free. Look, I did enjoy this book more than I thought, but that does
not mean that I’m happy that I read it. If I went my whole life having never
read this book, I’d be fine, but here we are. Footnotes are fine, but they
shouldn’t span over pages and pages and pages and pages and… I’m fine. I
was
entertained throughout, and I was entertained where I was supposed to be (not
like our dishonourable mention that’ll pop up later). It’s not a book I can
wholeheartedly recommend, unless you have a lot of time. I still can’t fully
figure out how I feel about this book, but it is stuck in my head, so here it
is in my top 10.
9.
Iron Maiden: Legacy of the
Beast by Llexi Leon, Ian Edgington, Kevin West (and more)
This was one of the books that I went “I read that this
year?” at. It feels so long ago. However, I do remember really enjoying it, and
I recently pre-ordered the second part to the series. I mean, I didn’t get to
see Iron Maiden live this year, so at least I got some Maiden content, right?
Right?
I loved all the references, and I remember that the story stood well on its
own. It was an Iron Maiden product that I’m sure could be enjoyed by plenty of
others.
8. Neuromancer
by William Gibson
This was one of the class books that I was intending to
write a review on, but never got around to. This very condensed review will
have to do, I suppose. I’ll get better at this next year. I had been meaning to
read this long before it was taking the module that brought it back to my
attention. I’m almost annoyed that I hadn’t read it sooner. I loved this book,
and I’ll likely be looking at reading the rest of the trilogy. You can so
clearly see the influences in other pieces of media, and it really is the father
of the Cyberpunk movement.
7. Trainspotting
by Irvine Welsh
Another one that surprised me when I realised that I read this
book in 2020. I don’t think it was even that long before lockdown that I finished
this, but I still feel like it’s been an eternity since I finished this. Still,
I am glad that I finally got around to reading it. I know that it was one of those
that had been sitting on my shelf for a good long while before finally getting
on it, and there’s no good reason for it to have been sitting there for so
long. I do also remember that Tam Dean Burn’s narration on the audiobook was
really good. I think I’m usually somewhat more passionate in my round-ups, but to
be fair, it feels like an age since I’ve read this, and even though I know I loved
it, it feels like it’s been much longer than it has since I finished the book.
I should take a look at some of
the other books in the series. I know that I really enjoyed this book, and the
characters were my favourite part. So, I would love to see more of them. No
matter how terrible they may be, I do so love them.
6. Doggolescence by Kyra
the Staffy (and also Rachel Oates)
This was the first (of very few) book I read in lockdown. I
loved this book. The parodies worked so well. It reminded me of my own dog in a
time where I couldn’t go to see him. I seriously recommend that you watch
Rachel’s videos even if you don’t pick up a copy of the book. She has a real
eloquence when it comes to talking about poetry, so if that’s something you’re
interested in head on over to the ‘Rachel Oates’ YouTube channel.
5. Paga by
Maria Apichella
I don’t read enough poetry in general, but that’s certainly
the case for this year. I think that’s certainly a goal for next year.
If I remember rightly, I read a
lot of this on a train. I don’t remember if I was going to or from Aberystwyth,
but I know that the pieces that were about her time at university really
resonated with me. We’re fellow Aber graduates (though I hadn’t graduated at
the time) and I feel a real connection with her via her poetry.
4. Everything
You Ever Wanted by Luisa Sauma
I really do miss libraries. Of all the things I want back,
(especially killer, given that I found out I’m in tier four as I’m writing
this) it’s libraries. I just want to browse the shelves, borrow more books than
I could ever read in the allotted time, and I want to just sit and write in
there. There’s such a peace to a library. Plus, I get to discover so many more
authors and books than I could ever hope to, and it’s all free.
I say all
this because this was one of the last books I borrowed from my local library,
and I am so glad I got to discover this book. The concept was so wonderful, and
it was perfectly executed. If I could, I’d head back to the library and give it
another read, but I can’t. I should try to get my own copy because it was so
good. Thing is, it’s been so long since I read it the first time (at least
it feels that way) it’ll feel a little bit like reading it for the first time
again.
I do still
have mixed feelings towards it, but that’s only because it was the views on that
review that led to me having to read onion boy.
3. Psycho
by Robert Bloch
This was another one of those books where it had been
sitting on my shelf for too long, and there’s no good reason for that. This is
a classic for a reason, and it had me on the edge of my seat throughout. I don’t
know if I’ll read it again, but I’m sure that if I do, there will be all sorts
of little hints and bits of foreshadowing that only show themselves on a second
reading.
2. Extremely
Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Given that it’s so high on the list, it does feel a little
bit wrong that I didn’t do a full review, but here we are. This is a book that I’d
heard of before, but wasn’t really aware of what it was about. I read it because
it was a class book, but I wish I’d read it so much sooner. I cried on multiple
occasions, and my heart swelled throughout. It was certainly a read that’s
going to stick with me for a long time.
1. Out
of Love by Hazel Hayes
If one day I can write a book this good, I’ll be a very
happy man. It is a masterpiece, plain and simple. I adore this book, and I will
until I am old and grey. I could talk about this book forever, but I’ll try to
keep it short. This book made me laugh, it shocked me, it resonated with me,
and it thoroughly broke my heart. When I can, I know that I’ll be getting the
line are on the front cover as a tattoo, and I have a little note on my wall
that says, “you are not a banana”. I physically cannot praise this book enough.
I know I’ll read it again; the heartbreak is worth it.
Honourable Mentions
- Collected Ghost Stories by M. R. James, Classic
Ghost Stories by Various Authors, and The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories
by Various Authors. I didn’t read every story in these collections, but loved
the ones I did.
-
Chickenfeed by Minette Walters
- Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Shannon
Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, and Brooklyn Allen
Dishonourable Mention
- This is Why I Hate You by Greg ‘Onision’
Jackson.
I’m not reading the third book. You can’t make me. And if I do
set a challenge, it’s probably going to be far more than 200 views. I’ve seen
people talk about that third book, and it is the pits. Please don’t make me.
So, here’s to 2021. Let’s hope I can actually hit that
50-book challenge this time. I’m also thinking of starting a YouTube channel
alongside this. It might even replace this if I have more fun with it. I’m not
too sure though. You’ll have to let me know.
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