In 2020 I decided to keep track of what books I’d read over the course of the year. Got a little notebook, decided to write the title, author, and a little blurb for myself so I could look back on it someday. Probably the most productive reading year I’ve ever had: 62 in total. Which isn’t surprising as I had plenty of time on my hands.
So, in 2021, with no real end to world events in sight, I decided to do it again. Less productive (this year), 41 in total, but that’s OK. If the pattern continues I think (math!) I’ll get through 20 books this year, but that makes no sense, as that means in 2023 I’ll read -1 book. Which, who knows?
Anyway, looking back on what I read in 2021, a few of them leapt out at me (numbers refer to the order in the year):
3) The Third Policeman, Flann O’Brien
I have my old grad school friend Albion to thank for once upon a time pointing me in his direction. Surreal doesn’t begin to describe it, but marvelously funny. And terrifying. And filled with bicycles. To get a sense of O’Brien, watch this:
https://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/1110/740815-the-wonderful-worlds-of-flann-obrien/
8) A Theory of the Aphorism, Andrew Hui
I love books like this: philosophy, philology, and a dash of history – all to try to explain the unexplainable, that is: what makes an aphorism an aphorism?
10) Maigret Takes A Room, Georges Simenon
I started reading the Maigrets in 2020 after reading Simenon’s “When I Was Old”, which is admittedly a strange way of getting into them. But I really like the character of Maigret. I think his motto is admirable: “Understand and judge not.”
16) Consider Phlebas, Iain M. Banks
I can read Culture novels every so often; more than one or two a year and my brain would start to hurt. He does ugliness, brutality, pain, and death more aptly any SF author I’ve read, and sometimes that’s just what you need.
22) Deacon King Kong, James McBride
I read this one because my partner recommended it to me. What terrific writing, what great characters, and such a great story. Almost felt like a Russian novel in weird ways. I have real respect for authors who actually love their characters (in case you’re looking for a counterexample, I’ll point to Salinger), and McBride’s is palpable throughout.
29) Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas and Other American Stories, Hunter S. Thompson
Reading this makes the 1970s (and 1980s and 1990s and 2000s and 2010s and probably the goddamn 2020s) all make sense. That’s it. I just can’t believe he remembered enough of it to write it all down.
32) What is Existentialism?, Simone de Beauvoir
A short essay that doesn’t define existentialism, and a longer one (“Pyrrhus & Cineas”) that is an attempt to. I knew less about existentialism after reading these than I did before. But that’s OK by me, because Beauvoir did get it through my thick skull that existentialism is a project, not a method.
35) Women of Ideas, Suki Finn (ed.)
A collection of interviews from the Philosophy Bites podcast, all with female philosophers. Everything there worth knowing more about, and I found Rebecca Roache’s “Swearing”, Jennifer Nagel’s “Intuitions About Knowledge”, and Anne Phillips’ “Multiculturalism and Liberalism” particularly interesting.
37) Rio, Annie Zaleski
One of the 33 1/3 Books series, on one of my favorite albums (I will defend this album to the death). She does a great job digging in to understand what made Duran Duran tick, got great interviews, and overall really made me appreciate the album more. Feeling 14 again.
38) Teaching Machines, Audrey Watters
I have had the good fortune to meet Audrey, and I respect her tremendously as a historian of educational technology, so I enjoyed this work of hers on B.F. Skinner and his efforts to bring a “teaching machine” to market back before computers were really a thing (certainly in schools). The past isn’t a different century: it’s not even past.
41) Imagined Communities, Benedict Anderson
His name had come up in many different places for me – articles, books, etc. – so I thought I should read his explanation of the concept of “nationalism”. And, wow. Polymathic doesn’t seem to adequately describe him. History, politics, linguistics (he was fluent in some amazing number of languages), some anthropology, it’s all in there. And I admire the fact that he went back to say more (this is a second edition) after realizing he hadn’t captured everything he needed to the first time round.
Anyway, that’s it for 2021. I wish you health and peace for 2022. I think we will all need it.
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