Thankfully 2020 is over and, like most people, it was not a great year for me. Apart from the pandemic and job seeking, I did have an ear infection that decided it wanted to go into my brain, leading to ventriculitis, but without going into the details of my health, let’s just say it was not the best year for my reading. I only managed to finish 54 books, which isn’t too bad but for me it was felt really low.
I did read some amazing books through the year, I started off with Older Brother by Mahir Guven (translated by Tina Kover) which was an amazing novel. The way this book talked about a Franco-Syrian family really stuck with me, I love the way Guven explored political divide between the father and the sons. Let’s face it, if Tina Kover translated the book, I am already interested in reading it, no need to tell me what it is about. In February I read The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa (translated by Stephen Snyder) which seemed to get plenty of attention this year. For me, I didn’t enjoy the book, Ogawa is an amazing writer, and I will continue to follow her writing, I just don’t understand the hype behind this book and not some of her other works, maybe this is the first book people have read.
I tend to focus on translated literature, but I am in a book club, so I have read some popular fiction; some of the highlights for the year included Bruny by Heather Rose, The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue and Betty by Tiffany McDaniel, but the true highlight was The Yield by Tara June Winch. However, the book club was also responsible for the worst book I read this year, which was The Motion of the Body Through Space by Lionel Shriver. That book was awful, I know Shriver is meant to be satirising life, but her horrible political beliefs were really reflected in this novel.
Every year when the International Booker Prize longlist is announced, I try my best to read it in its entirety. This year I was not successful, but I managed to complete the shortlist. Highlights from the books I read included The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar (translated by anonymous), The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezon Camara (translated by Iona Macintyre and Fiona Mackintosh) and Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann (translated by Ross Benjamin) which I didn’t love as much as most people, and I think it had something to do with the fantastical elements found within the book, or my health. The book I would have picked as the winner was Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor (translated by Sophie Hughes), so obviously I knew it wasn’t going to win. The winner was The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (translated by Michele Hutchison) which I need to give a reread before deciding my opinion, but I was pleased to see they were the first non-binary winner of the Booker prize (are they the first non-binary winner of any major literary prize?).
While recovering from my health issues, I turned to crime novels as a way to get back into my reading habits, and because they were easier to manage. I love crime novels as palette cleansers and reading so many this year reminded me how much I enjoy the thrill of reading purely for entertainment. This is not why I read but I do appreciate the relaxation that came from reading just for pleasure and maybe I should do it more often. Favourites included Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand, Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner and Nada by Jean-Patrick Manchette (translated by Donald Nicholson-Smith). I am very picky when it comes to crime novels and one day, I need to work out what my criteria is for selecting a good book. I was disappointed by the latest Renee Ballard book, The Night Fire, I normally like Michael Connelly’s writing style, but something was missing in this one. Although the worst crime novel I read had to be Memory Man by David Baldacci, I liked the concept of a detective suffering from synesthesia and hyperthymesia but there was some very horrible language used to describe an intersex character that really ruined the whole experience.
Some other reading highlights included, Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, The Dishwasher by Stéphane Larue (translated by Pablo Strauss), Zama by Antonio Di Benedetto (translated by Esther Allen), Four by Four by Sara Mesa (translated by Katie Whittemore) and Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami (translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd), but my favourite book of the year has to be Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo (translated by Jamie Chang). Honourable mentions have to go to The Wind that Lays Waste by Selva Almada (translated by Chris Andrews), And the Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier (translated by Rhonda Mullins) and The Beauty of the Death Cap by Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze (translated by Tina Kover). I only read one piece of non-fiction, a memoir from Annie Ernaux called A Man’s Place (translated by Tanya Leslie), and one re-read which was Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, this time I read the amazing translation by Oliver Ready, which I highly recommend. Let me know of your reading highlights of 2020.
My Top 10 Reads for 2020
? Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo (translated by Jamie Chang)
? Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (translated by Oliver Ready)
? Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor (translated by Sophie Hughes)
? The Dishwasher by Stéphane Larue (translated by Pablo Strauss)
? Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
? Older Brother by Mahir Guven (translated by Tina Kover)
? Four by Four by Sara Mesa (translated by Katie Whittemore)
? The Yield by Tara June Winch
? Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami (translated by Sam Bett & David Boyd)
? Zama by Antonio Di Benedetto (translated by Esther Allen)
I am pleased to hear that your health is improving, and I wish you all the best for 2021.
Thanks Lisa, I am hoping 2021 is better for everyone.
What a year it was for you, eh? When I think back and remember what you and your wife both went through during your incredibly scary health crisis, I cringe. I think it’s safe to say that I speak for everyone when I say we’re all so happy (and relieved!) that you’re alright, my friend. As far as books go, I have The Pull of the Stars on my bookshelf right now waiting for me. I purchased it when it came out months ago, but I let my sister read it first (she loved it but said she wished it had been a little longer). I’ll probably get to it really soon.
I can understand why your sister thought The Pull of the Stars should be longer, it could be turned into a show like Call the Midwife. It has the setting and a blossoming romance that could keep playing out
I enjoyed your reading highlights and top 10 reads for 2020. Interesting how your health crisis lead to a change in reading as you took the pressure off yourself during your recovery. It’s interesting isn’t it? Perhaps you’d enjoy more crime/true crime throughout the year, but push yourself with thoughts like “I should really be reading the International Booker Prize longlist instead.” It can be very rewarding to read a longlist or finish a classic, but a guilty reading pleasure can be enjoyable too 🙂
I like crime novels as a palette cleanser, I started my reading journey with plenty of crime novels, particularly the Dexter series. While it’s fun to read, and I enjoy the experience, I think I feel better about myself and my reading when I focus on world literature