Reading is powerful. And somehow, the right book finds you at the time you need it most. I’ve just finished my 20th book of the year, and thought that it might be time to record my thoughts on the things I’ve learned from each.
I’ve included them all, even the embarrassing ones. Who knows, maybe it will help you choose your next book!
The Spare Bedroom by Elizabeth Neep
I can’t explain why I picked up this book, but I guess I was looking for something easy and enjoyable. This wasn’t it. Though I was tempted to abandon reading it multiple times, I somehow pushed through. It was painful. The main character was unsympathetic, and the surrounding cast came across as caricatures. But hey, she learned in the end, so I suppose that counts for something. 1/5
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The plot immediately drew me in, but something always felt off. I think part of the reason this novel proved popular is the fact that it tells a “white saviour” story, which is digestible to a mass market audience. It glosses over a lot of the realities black women faced, and neglects to showcase positive examples of black masculinity. To its credit, it did spark dialogue about collective recollections and the importance of perspective. 3/5
Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given
I find this book fascinating on many levels. It’s almost like pop art, with its loud, prescriptive narrative. It’s a glimpse into the mind of peak Gen Z – self-righteous, somewhat patronising, and more than a little immature. But as a very superficial introduction to intersectional feminist discourse, it does the job. 3/5
Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine
If some books find you at the right time, others take time. I had been attempting to finish this book for years now, and I’m very glad I kept coming back to it. One of the most important takeaways is to investigate information presented as facts, as the reality is likely to be much more subjective. It’s crucial to remain acutely aware of how our performance of gender influences perception, remembering that pervasive stereotypes can often be self-perpetuating. 5/5
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
I managed to snag a copy of this book from the Kindle store for 99p. Best 99p I ever spent. The main idea is simple – consider how you’re using the digital resources available and cut out anything that doesn’t add value. But the way Cal Newport structures his arguments, supporting each with historical, philosophical, and personal examples, makes for an enjoyable read. 5/5
Burnout by Amelia and Emily Nagoski
This book tried to present an argument for how women experience stress differently than men, and while some examples rang true, I feel that, on the whole, it fell short. Maybe the style wasn’t quite to my liking. There were a lot of convoluted metaphors intended to be relatable, but I just found them grating. 2/5
Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes by Guzel Yakhina
I didn’t think I’d particularly enjoy what would, on first glance, appear to be a story of ceaseless suffering in the pre-war Soviet Union. But this book captures the resilience of the human spirit, a true homage to the victims of Stalinist repressions. Each character comes alive so vividly that even if I disagree with their actions, I can sympathise with their predicament. 5/5
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
I can’t really remember this one. I think it was something to do with focussing on the things that will bring you closer to your goals, rather than the many trivialities that surround you. But the problem is that most jobs require some level of multitasking, it’s just that each of us needs to identify where our time is most effectively spent. And, well, that’s just common sense. 2/5
The Gods Always Travel Incognito by Laurent Gounelle
After reading The Midnight Library, I’m reflecting on how a similar theme is developed in two different ways. In this, the main character entrusts his life decisions to someone else in the pursuit of happiness, while in the other, the protagonist seeks happiness by trying on different lives. Definitely a thought-provoking book, but requires a significant suspension of disbelief. 4/5
Dominicana by Angie Cruz
This book was a window into another world, a life so dramatically removed from my own, and yet there was something acutely relatable about the immigrant experience. That said, there’s many an immigrant tale that follows this same script, and the novel falls a little flat. Despite the violence, the narrative doesn’t enrage us, which is concerning. 3/5
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
I’m not sure this book knew what it wanted to say. Gentrification is changing the fabric of London, a topic tackled brilliantly by black writers such as Arinze Kene, but here meant that Queenie was surprised to see a Brixton burger joint instead of a Jamaican bakery. Though sympathetic, the main character was largely a mess, echoing problematic stereotypes and making it hard to relate. 2/5
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge Stephenson
I loved this book. The author created a compelling fiction around the true story of transporting giraffes across America during the Great Depression. It was impossible not to share the awe the main character experiences when he first sets eyes on the magnificent creatures, as well as every emotion that follows. 5/5
Sex Robots and Vegan Meat by Jenny Kleeman
Yes, I bought the book for its catchy title. Luckily, it had substance. The author has serious ethical concerns about how technological progress is reimagining fundamental aspects of life itself, namely food, sex, birth, and death. From the moral implications of artificial intelligence in a robot designed for sexual servitude to whether we should be able to end our life by choice, it’s a gripping read. 4/5
The Frequency of Us by Keith Stuart
The characters seemed a little underdeveloped to me, and the female love interest never really took shape in my mind. I couldn’t understand her motivations, which affected the way I interpreted the love story. I suppose relationships were different during the war. The idea itself was poetic, and the plot twists were fairly original. 3/5
Before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Perhaps I’m generalising, but all the Japanese authors I’ve read have managed to infuse the mundane with magic realism in such a way as to make a poignant statement on the human condition. This was no exception. And you’re left with the question of whether what you deem important right now going to matter in the grand scheme of things. 4/5
The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
Much like the first book in this list, the other “romantic comedy” I read this year was disappointing. Maybe it’s not my genre? I had liked the author’s previous two books, which put a quirky spin on the usual set-up, so I was hoping for something more. This time around, it seemed like she took inspiration from Normal People, but lacked the depth and development. The characters were entirely unbearable and their actions unrealistic. So there’s that. 2/5
So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
As I later learned from TED Talks, to intrigue your audience, you need to take a commonly accepted concept and turn it on its head. Cal Newport does this beautifully by rejecting the idea that following your dreams will make you happy, arguing that we should instead focus on achieving mastery and acquiring career capital. Solid advice, in my view. 5/5
The Joke by Milan Kundera
Whenever I read something from Milan Kundera, I feel as though I’m reading the same book over and over again. And yet, I can’t get enough, the philosophical musings echoing in my mind for weeks, months, even years. The Joke was his first novel, based loosely on his own experience of being ousted from the Czechoslovakian Communist Party. 4/5
TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson
I have a public presentation coming up at the end of next week, so I wanted to get some pointers on how to structure my speech. I’m lucky enough to have creative control over my topic, so I can benefit from some of the strategies, but I do find that the suggested approach is restrictive. It wouldn’t work for a conference, for instance. Or with questions from the audience. 2/5
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
This was a page turner. I even stayed up past my bedtime last night to finish it, which is saying a lot. Playing on the idea that infinite versions of our lives exist in parallel, the book philosophises about meaning, happiness, and what it means to be successful. I haven’t fully digested yet, but I suppose the idea is that our lives are closely interwoven and each of us matters more than we may think. 4/5
So there you have it, my goal of reading 20 books in 2021 is complete, and it’s only midway through September. That’s not to say I’ll slow down, of course. I’ll aim even higher in 2022!
Swordfoosh 