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Great reading month! Some fantastic books beginning with a return to a Krasznahorkai short story collection and two standouts by American authors. First is A Disorder Peculiar to the Country by longtime favorite Ken Kalfus. He presents some ideas about the US that have gotten very little attention but have been on my mind, so it was good to see someone tackle this particular disorder. The second book, A Stone Face by William Gardner Smith, is incredible! Hard to believe I was unaware of it before this NYRB edition. Profound study of racism and survival. Required reading.
November stats in brief: 8 books read (5 in English translation); 6 novels and 2 short story collections; 2011 pages; 5 languages represented from 5 countries; 1 ebook and 7 real books; authors: 5 male and 2 female; translators: 2 male, 3 female and 1 unknown.
This past November, we spent a week in Akrotiri on the southern part of Santorini. Very relaxing and quiet location, far from the crowds of Fira and Oia, although even in those popular cities, the crowds were not so large at this time of year. Oia may have the best sunset viewing, but we found the sunsets splendid throughout the island. Not much infrastructure down in Akrotiri but there is a decent grocery store, a handful of tavernas for cold beers and tasty meals, and plenty of walking opportunities. A half day sail to view the caldera from the water was a great break from walking and eating.
I recently moved back to Berlin after two years in Bremen, which means better hiking opportunities in Brandenburg. I was able to find decent hiking around Bremen, like Heidschnuckenweg, which was quite enjoyable, but there is greater variety and closer options outside of Berlin. This hike last weekend was a loop beginning and ending in Groß Glienicke and passing by several lakes. It also passed through Schloss Sacrow Park where the Heilandskirche is located (pictures below). Glad to be back!
Photo by Thomas Bormans on Unsplash.
117 books read in 2020; 27402 pages
shortest book was 45 pages, longest was 640 pages
90 were books in English translation; 27 written in English
101 different authors: 46 male, 54 female, 1 they
73 different translators: 30 male, 40 female, 3 mixed team
38 different countries represented
23 different languages represented
46 publishers with New Directions and Fitzcarraldo Editions best represented with 10 books each
oldest book published in 1842 and most recent in 2020
88 novels, 27 short story collections, 0 nonfiction, and 2 memoirs
59 physical copies, 58 ebooks, a 2020 trend I am not happy about
I walked a long distance trail this month so I was able to read a couple more books than normal. Despite traveling with my e-reader, I still focused on getting through my to-read pile of physical books, which I much prefer anyway. Nothing really blew me away in this batch but still a few books I enjoyed and can recommend. Two out of Spain: Fernando Aramburu’s Homeland, translated by Alfred MacAdams, and The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo, translated by Isabelle Kaufeler. And from the Swedish, the always impressive Lina Wolff and her short story collection Many People Die Like You, translated by Saskia Vogel.
October stats in brief: 12 books read (11 in English translation); 10 novels and 2 short story collections; 3142 pages; 9 languages represented from 10 countries; 4 ebooks and 8 real books; authors: 6 male and 6 female; translators: 5 male, 5 female and 1 team.
Photo courtesy of Ben White on Unsplash.
Before I step foot on the Rennsteig, I am alerted to the throwback I will experience in Thuringia. I am in a unified Germany, but salient is the fact that I am traveling from the former West to the former East. I am not feeling nostalgia for better days, but the vibe of the Gotha station alerts me to what I am missing, the inner discomfort of daily life. The station is clearly rundown, in need of care, cash, and a bit of maintenance. However, I love the simplicity, the lack of artifice, its charming decrepitude. I am only passing through for a train transfer, which happens without a hitch, but I cannot help compare the developed eyesore of a station I have travelled from with the quiet and tired patterns found in this little outpost. The twenty minutes I spend here are insufficient.
There were two outstanding books I read this month: Soviet Milk by Nora Ikstena and The Heart by Maylis De Kerangal. They have been sitting on the sidelines for quite some time and I am glad I finally got around to both of them. Soviet Milk follows the lives of three generations of Latvian women and The Heart is a French novel which explores loss, grieving, identity, and human connections. Both are well worth reading.
September stats in brief: 11 books read (9 in English translation); 8 novels and 3 short story collections; 2443 pages; 6 languages represented from 9 countries; 4 ebooks and 7 real books; authors: 4 male and 7 female; translators: 3 male and 6 female.
While I worked on this difficult and enjoyable puzzle, I anticipated the clarity that would arrive as I increasingly interlocked random pieces. The result, while outstanding, beautiful, and inspiring, failed to provide the clarity and understanding I was searching for. Still, it was wonderful to interact with this Jackson Pollock masterpiece. Thanks to the awesome Pomegranate puzzle company out of Portland, Oregon for issuing this mind-blowing distraction.
Another great reading month, but honestly, they are all good reading months, as long as I get to read. The standouts for me are the incredible Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica and the disappointing Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin, which I had high hopes for based on all the hype but really did not excite me all that much.
August stats in brief: 9 books read (all in English translation); 8 novels and 1 short story collection; 2114 pages; 6 languages represented from 8 countries; 4 ebooks and 5 real books; authors: 3 male and 6 female; translators; 5 male, 4 female, and 1 team.
