2020 Reading Data

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

Book Report: October 2020

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.

Book Report: September 2020

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.

Book Report: July 2020

A good summer reading month! I ventured into some reading that I usually do not pay attention to and was repaid with a couple of outstanding novels. Simply because of my reading preferences I miss out on books coming from the UK, as well as the vast offerings coming from Asian countries. Luckily, I spread my attention and experienced Daisy Johnson’s ‘Everything Under’ and Han Kang’s ‘The Vegetarian,’ two wonderful stories I highly recommend. I can also add to that list ‘Tropic of Violence’ by Natacha Appanah, an impressive French language read that blew me away.

July STATS in brief: 10 books read (8 in English translation); 3 short story collections; 7 novels; 2422 pages; 8 languages represented, 9 countries; 7 ebooks and 3 real books; authors: 2 male, 7 female; translators: 3 male, 5 female.

Saint George's Bookshop Berlin

One of the first things I do when I visit Berlin, is trade in my finished books for some new ones at a wonderful bookstore: Saint George’s Bookshop. They treat me well there and always have a great selection of used and new books to choose from. This time, my trade yielded five books for my to-read shelf: offerings from Lithuania, Brazil, Argentina, France, and Mexico. Most of my book buying these days consists of ebooks, so it is a bit strange to shop in a store and walk out with physical copies, but I much prefer it and cannot wait to open these books. When you visit Berlin, be sure to stop by and purchase some great reading at this classic and well-stocked bookstore.

Jude the Obscure

One of the few books I did not sell with the rest of my collection is Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. I read this book sometime within the past ten years and enjoyed its bleakness and the exploration of unhappiness, societal oppression, and other issues enough to believe I would give it a second reading. That time has come, sooner than I imagined, but with the added pleasure of having the book read to me. So, I can enjoy the pleasure of Hardy’s narrative while puzzling away. A fine way to spend an evening. The reader is Michael Ian Black and he presents his reading with commentary through his podcast, Obscure. I found it through Pocket Casts but I am sure it is widely available. It’s kind of like a mini book club, but from the comfort of my home and enhanced with a glass of wine. Thanks Michael Ian Black!

Book Report: June 2020

There were no grand discoveries in June, although I did start the Virginie Despentes Vernon Subutex Trilogy, which is enjoyable, and I was inspired by the craft in Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s short story collection, Friday Black. In June I also started alternating between ebooks and real books as I still have over 100 paper books on my to-read shelf, most of which I still plan on getting to. As mentioned in other posts, I have not fully accepted the Kindle experience and still prefer to hold a book in my hands, as well as have them sitting on my shelf for further perusal. But I am committed to this change and will persevere; most of my purchases these days are ebooks.

June STATS in brief: 12 books read (8 in English translation); 3 short story collections; 9 novels; 2871 pages; 5 languages represented; 6 ebooks and 6 real books; authors: 9 male, 4 female; translators: 6 male, 4 female.

2019 Reading Data

85 books read in 2019; 22666 pages

shortest book was 88 pages, longest was 1668 pages

62 were books in English translation; 23 written in English

76 different authors: 46 male, 30 female

54 different translators: 29 male, 22 female, 3 mixed team

36 different countries with Spain best represented with 10 books

43 publishers with New Directions best represented with 13 books

oldest book published in 1956 and most recent in 2019

60 novels, 24 short story collections, sadly only 1 nonfiction

82 physical copies, 3 ebooks, a trend that may change in 2020

2018 Reading Data

121 books read in 2018; 31942 pages

105 were books in English translation; 16 written in English

103 different authors: 74 male, 47 female

67 different translators: 36 male, 31 female

31 different countries

58 publishers with Fitzcarraldo Editions and FSG tying for the most with 7 each

oldest book published in 1933 and most recent in 2018

83 novels; 38 short story collections

The Laughing Monsters & Jesus' Son

The Laughing Monsters Denis Johnson (USA), Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014.                        Jesus’ Son Denis Johnson (USA), Reclam, 1992.

The Laughing Monsters is a literary thriller which takes place throughout western Africa. There are exploitative spies, missionaries, and politicians, all pursuing their self-interests at the cost of Africans and the African environment. Superb settings and characters amongst a degraded environment, and a lot of fun.

One of the characters from a short story in Jesus’ Son says, “Because we all believed we were tragic, and we drank.” This quote sums up quite nicely what takes place in this excellent collection. From the Midwest, to the west coast, Johnson populates his stories with soul-searching characters who abuse alcohol and drugs in an endless pattern of self-destruction. And yet, these stories and characters stand out with their extreme humour and unavoidable sympathy, making this an excellent collection of well-written stories.