Weekend Guide 12.31.2020
2020 Reading List
Every year I keep track of all the books I read. I have been doing this for as long as I can remember. It helps me mark the passage of time. It seems that this practice is much maligned, mostly by those who wish they read - but don’t. That’s fine with me. After I finish each book, I find my notebook, open it up and scrawl down the title and author. No notes or ratings. I write each title in ALL CAPS. I am not sure why. After I finish logging a book, I get a bit of a charge. It’s basically me patting myself on the back. Job well done.
That post-log-hit always gives me the zip I need to quickly start something new. For me, reading is all about momentum. When i’m in a heavy reading mode, I go pretty hard. I read in the morning, when I break for lunch, when I brush my teeth - it’s an all day sort of thing. When it’s going slow, I glance at my list and think about adding the current book i’m slogging through to the end of it, as a sort of light at the end of the tunnel.
It’s not often, but I sometimes I read a book twice (all the way through) without realizing that I have already read it. I am not sure if this is more of an indictment of my reading comprehension/retention, or the authors inability to leave a lasting impression. L.A. Woman by Eve Babitz and Cathedral by Raymond Carver are on this sad, short list, of books i’ve mistakenly read twice. I also own two copies of each. Let me know if you need one.
So, I will continue to keep track of each book I read. I will likely keep sharing this list every year. I encourage you to give it a try. Why not? Set a goal and hold yourself accountable. I was shooting for 100 this year. I came up way short, but that’s fine. What do they say? Shoot for the stars and maybe you’ll land on the moon. Something like that. My 2020 list:
Here are three books from my list that I would recommend 👍😍
Comanches: The History of a People by TR Fehrenbach By far the best history book I have ever read. It’s pretty academic but the payoff is huge. If you are into US History this is the American story.
Jane: A Murder by Maggie Nelson Part true crime, part poetry, part dream sequence. It’s the story of a brutal murder that happened in the late 60’s told from a completely unique vantage.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, Violence - all at a small liberal arts college in Vermont. This one checked all the boxes for me.
Here are three books from my list that I would NOT recommend (not linked) 👎🙃
Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons I say this with peace and love but reading my very first graphic novel gave me vertigo. I do not think I will be revisiting this genre. I am proud of myself for trying.
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie In 1989 the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of Rushdie. 31 years later, I had to see what the fuss was all about. This was the toughest book for me to read all year. Six months later I am finding it hard to recall what it was even about.
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance This guy smells like a maga man to me. Super hollow, no story. I was expecting a neutered Hill William. This fell way short. I will never watch the Netflix movie. I am glad he made something of himself but this book is not it.
I would be curious to see what you all read this year. Please send me your list, or a note commenting on what you think I should check out in 2021. If you have any questions about the list - send them my way. I would be happy to give you a quick rundown of any book that you’re curious about. I also encourage you to leave a comment on this post telling me how much of an asshole I am for not liking Watchmen. Either way, peace and love!
At some point in 2020, I confronted the fact that I was hoarding books and never starting them. I had a stack of hard copies, a handful of PDFs downloaded on my laptop, and still others living in multiple mobile apps. The procurement of books started to feel like a habit that was spiraling out of control—especially since I wasn't reaping the benefits of actually reading them. So to keep myself accountable, I did kind of the reverse of your ritual: I wrote down all the titles I'd amassed and committed to checking them off. (Coincidentally, 3 Bod Prob was one of them! I really liked it, and would def read the rest of the trilogy someday. Right now I'm working on The Left Hand of Darkness, and digging that too.)
Even though I didn't make as much progress on my list as I'd hoped to before the end of the year, it was a helpful exercise to get me started, and it's still gratifying when I get to cross off another item. Thanks for sharing yours, and for all the good vibes you send out each week.
I think one of those two copies of Cathedral may have been gifted to you by me? The reason I suspect that is because I, too, had acquired two copies of the collection over the years. I hate seeing it on your sad, short list of re-reads; however, a lot of RC's shorts are--while not necessarily unmemorable--similar in lots of ways. (Relatedly, I've on two separate occasions bought copies of CC's "Rarities" tape on Discogs. Do you want my spare?)
I fell short of my goal of 30 this year but, if I can end the workday at a reasonable hour this afternoon, by the end of the day I will reach a cool 22. It was a busy year! Westerns were a theme for me in 2020, as was following the trials and travails of Richard Stark's (Donald Westlake's) Parker character in the '60s mobbed-up crime noir series that begins with "The Hunter".
I want to get through at least one of Robert Caro's books/doorstops about LBJ in 2021. Like "The Secret" (not on my 2020 list), I'm just putting that out there into the world!
My dad devoured The Three Body Problem trilogy during quar (albeit, on audiobook while he would go on hikes), and I think it was the first literature I've seen him consume in my lifetime. I loved and was challenged by Book 1, so I need to jump back in soon.
Happy new year to you and yours, Dan! Hope you keep guiding us through the weekend in 2021.