2020 – A Year of Reading
January 29, 2021
In my post titled 2017 – Reading List, I had quite the plan to read all those books. However, regretfully and I'm rather embarrassed to admit it, I only finished The Trial by Franz Kafka and for the past two years, hmm, I probably only read two books. Yep. I'm sure you've all heard the excuses – work got the better of me, didn't have time, just too tired etc, that pretty much was the past two years for me. Apart from work, I wasn't motivated at all to do anything else, instead I passed my time watching Youtube videos.
Sure, videos are entertaining but I realised it was a completely unproductive way to spend my free time and I often returned to work still stressed and not in a good mood. Something had to be done! I know I can do it because I've done it before, when I dedicated time to reading I end up reading over a dozen books in a year, and it is only through reading that I'm truly able to de-stress and take my mind off things.
Since most of us have been cooped up at home for the good part of 2020, it is all the more reason to get back into reading. So, picking up where I left off, I'm thrilled to be sharing with you my 2020 reading list; a list of books I've actually read during the year.
The Help – Kathryn Stockett
The scene is 1962, Mississippi. Where segregation is part of the norm, and where black maids look after white children. It took me a while to get stuck into this book because it took a while to establish each character's storyline; each maid's relationship with their white employers as well as the relationship among the white women themselves. But as the story progressed, I felt compelled and absorbed by the women's stories and their courage.
♥ Wild Swan – Jung Chang
I put off this book for a long time, perhaps because I've heard stories from my family members about the suffering and turmoil they've experienced and witnessed during that chaotic period in China's modern history. This is a thought-provoking and heart-wrenching book. ever more so as it is told through the eyes of the author – the countless horrors and hardships experienced by her and her family is a reflection of the social and political climate under Mao. It is difficult to imagine let alone comprehend some of the events described in the book, which makes this book even more worthwhile reading.
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
This wasn't the easiest to book to read, reasons being that there are quite a few characters, each with their own back story, their names weren't the easiest to remember and their relationship with one another, and most importantly with the protagonist Raskolnikov weren't apparent at first. The book is an exploration of humanity, psychology and nihilism through the eyes of Raskolnikov, who is a proud young man and despite his own destitution has a general disdain for those around him. It's focus is not on the actual act of murder, nor the eventual punishment but what lies in between, as we witness Raskolnikov's decent into delirium, fear, despair and torment. Another character I found quite interesting is Svidrigailov, whom in Raskolnikov's eyes is a villain and yet his final moments in the book to me is one of the highlights.
♥ Call Me By Your Name – André Aciman
I must admit this has been sitting in my one day pile for a while, cannot believe I put off reading this book for so long. It can be described as a coming of age romance between the precocious 17 year old Elio and his deepening desires for the American doctoral student during an Italian summer, which goes on to have profound impacts on their lives. The story is told through Elio's eyes and captures the heady desires, sexual angst and endless self doubts typical of a blossoming romance, but more importantly through the beauty and intensity of their dialogue, what we got to share is the intimacy between the two main characters and the heartbreaking knowledge that despite their love, they were both unprepared and that their lives were never on the same trajectory. The movie is just as beautiful and I could spend hours talking about it, it is a must watch!
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Find Me – André Aciman
I dived straight into this sequel and like many of you I'm sure; I just couldn't wait to find out what happened to Elio and Oliver. But much of this book is centred on Elio's father, Samuel – his new life and love with a much younger woman, and I was left more than a little confused since not much was said about his separation from his now ex-wife, and I wasn't aware of any underlying marriage issues in the first book, so the story felt disjointed right from the beginning. Though you now have a deeper understanding of Elio's father, but that's not what I was after. It really isn't til the latter half of the book that we get introduced to Elio, now as a young man and his burgeoning relationship with an older man, whom he met at a concert. The last and shortest chapter in the book finally introduces Oliver, who is now in love with some other people. So I read through this entire book, hoping for a glimpse of Elio and Oliver, not asking for a happy ending but a further exploration / development to their story but I felt I was reading three compartmentalised stories with little of the chemistry and captivating desire we got a taste of in the first book. It will be interesting to see the movie adaption though.
♥ Brokeback Mountain – Annie Proulx
This short story surrounding the life long love between the two protagonists, Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar is complex, captivating and emotional, it is set between 1960s-1980s and captures the social attitudes towards cowboys, homosexuality and homophobia of the time. The atmosphere throughout the entire book is restrained, if not repressed, especially Ennis as he struggles to come to terms with his sexuality, his feelings for Jack and at the same time upholding society's expectations of masculinity. Jack, on the other hand is accepting of his sexuality, yet at the same time is trapped; trapped because he is unable to forget Ennis, trapped because if anyone suspects them, it would mean certain death. If you don't read the book, at least watch the movie, it's a must in my books.
The Sorrows of Young Werther – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
This short novel is said to have influenced the Romantic movement and even Bonaparte himself took the book with him on his campaign, and if I remember correctly it was referenced in André Aciman's Call Me By Your Name. I must admit, I'm a little disappointed and not quite sure what to make of the book. It read unlike a tale of unrequited love but like one's infatuation and utter decent into delusion, depression and ultimately death. Werther's passion for Charlotte to me was unconvincing and thus his mood swings was unrelatable. It is more a story about Werther's decent into madness due to his unhealthy obsession over Charlotte, which makes the story somewhat tragic but a modern audience may find it hard to comprehend Werther's state of mind.
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So that wraps up my reading for 2020, not an extensive collection by any means but a step in the right direction. In 2021, I intend to set aside a little time each night for some reading, what yourselves?
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