2020 Books

During lockdown I started reading again. Initially via audiobook while running, then later also using physical books and ebooks on my commute. Here are my thoughts on some of those books.

Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin (audiobook)

This was in many ways a perfect lockdown book. Long, far from reality, emotionally distanced. Very enjoyable in that it presented dozens if hundreds of characters and paid them off one after another with enough detail that things didn't feel forced but not so much detail that everything couldn't be pieced back together into a single long narrative. A great worldbuilder's sourcebook, this felt like the kind of sweeping real world history told from a single learned person's viewpoint. I probably enjoyed this more than I would the main series as it didn't dwell overlong on any one character but packed all of the romance, drama and treachery of the series. Some less charitable would call that emotional removal dry.

Warren Buffett and the Interpretation of Financial Statements by Mary Buffett and David Clark (book)

Reread from several years ago. Not related to RPGs, fantasy or science fiction. Still, very valuable as there's little aside from a textbook that will take you through a financial statement so methodically. Easy to understand, it was very useful to peruse real financial statements while reading to lend more context to the book.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (audiobook)

A wonderful romp. This brought me back to reading Douglas Adams and David Eddings in school.  A screwball comedy, brilliantly read by Tony Robinson with so so many laugh out loud moments. This was my introduction to Pratchett, a clear hole in my fantasy reading. The version is an abridged, 3-hour version that reads like radio drama. I don't know what I missed but I certainly enjoyed what I read. Fantastic characters, the Librarian, Nobby, Vimes, Lady Sybil Ramkin and brilliant dialogue lift this from parody to brilliant satire. 

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (audiobook)

After Guards! Guards! I went back to the beginning. This was still funny but at times the humor felt forced, or at least followed less naturally from the setup. This could be because of a less-developed universe and some heavy-handed editing to hit the time constraints. I wonder what I missed. It felt more like a fantasy parody than a comedic story in its own right, but still maintained enough charm that I plan to go back to the series.

Oryx & Crake, The Year of the Flood, Maddaddam (The Maddaddam Trilogy) by Margaret Atwood (audiobook)

I'd heard about these for years from science fiction-reading friends. I didn't realize it was a trilogy when reading Oryx & Crake. The first book I enjoyed but wasn't sure whether I could recommend it. It is both a fascinating dystopian mirror of our world and an evocative character portrait. The book uses flashback to pull you along, but nothing really happens and Jimmy has no agency. 

The Year of the Flood is much better, with likeable characters and better motivation. Toby, Ren, Zeb, the Gardeners. Much more happens in this book and it feeds much more directly into the third. These books also give a sort of thesis, if only a collection of observations about the fragility of society, the limits of human power, consumerism, the costs and benefits of civilization and what would last if things went boom.

Stumbling On Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (ebook)

Finally finished after starting years back. A great book, studded with life-changing insights densely packed on every page. It feels a little like all the best anecdotes from a psychology degree packed into a single book. The work holds together, though as it is very well researched and sheds light on the fundamental biases that affect our ability to imagine the future. Funny, relatable and very applicable to everyday life, I can't recommend this highly enough.

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 13th Century by Barbara Tuchman (audiobook)

What a wonderful read. This was like Fire & Blood but with all of the extra bizarre happenings of truth. Such an informative text on life in the late medieval period. I can't say just how interesting, useful and readable this book was. Tuchman touched on a huge number of figures and creates a huge number of jumping-off points for further research. A few critiques: She has a thesis about the failure of chivalry that even if apt comes off uncharitably to the nobility of the period - people are rarely so incompetent. This is not an academic work, but perhaps better for it. The descriptions can fall into long lists. de Coucy and the other characters were a bit opaque, probably due to a scarcity of sources. Also as an audiobook this was rather more difficult, as I frequently had to look things up and I could only guess at spelling of many names. Still, a witty and well drawn portrait of a fascinating time in history. 

"On a previous visit by the [Holy Roman] Emperor to the Count of Savoy in 1365 mounted nobles had served platters of food poised on the ends of lances specially fitted with brackets for the purpose. Whatever it's moral limitations, Chivalry required a strong wrist."

Hopefully many more to add in the coming year.