“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
I admit to remembering a few special meals over the years. Likewise, I do have some books that I find myself recommending more than others. But I really can’t remember them all. And I’m an awful critic. On my GoodReads I rarely give anything less than 3 stars; if it’s that bad why would I waste time reading it? And for any book I do take the time to read, who am I to criticize an author who poured hours of work, effort and thought into the labor of writing a book.
But I do love reading now more than ever. The last year has provided an especially unique opportunity for reading with so much pandemic time at home. For a couple of months in spring 2020 I also read aloud on zoom almost every afternoon to the elementary students. Tracking my books from January 2020 until now I am closing in on 200 reads.
I absolutely don’t remember them all. I often see titles on my list and have to do some serious mental work to remember the plot or characters (non-fiction titles tend to give more obvious memory nudges). But there are many that have left a deeper impression and without
These are not reviews, full summaries or even consistent in form from one to the next. It’s just a list of books I loved and a few comments on each from what I remember most. I did try to categorize a bit.
Top Pick (if you really twist my arm to pick just one)
“A Swim in the Pond in the Rain: in Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading and Life,” by George Saunders
I may have to write about this one separately. But in short, this is the best book of pedagogy I’ve come across that is not a book on pedagogy. I was familiar with Saunders from his amazing history, comedy, tragedy about the death of Abraham Lincoln’s young son in “Lincoln in the Bardo.” But apparently he is known most for his short stories. In this book he takes a number of classic Russian short stories and breaks them down with great analysis, insight, stories and explanations that demonstrate the skills of a master teacher. In an approach that could have easily made me feel intimidated or bored I found myself inspired and laughing out loud.
History/Politics
“Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostokovich and the Siege of Leningrad,” by Mathew Tobin Anderson
We read this as part of our history class last fall. This is a stunning biography of the life and work of Shostokovich that is set against the raging pace of revolution and communist state building in Russia. Chapters alternated between the details of Shostokovich and the general changes of Russia. The relation of the two perspectives works wonderfully together in a way that brings together a tragic history of millions with the specific story of one and his family.
“How To Hide an Empire, A History of the Greater United States,” by Daniel Immerwahr
An insightful read into the global reach of the United States beyond our 50 states. It’s a great insight into the somewhat muted imperialism pursued before WWII that turned into attempts at full global domination in the Cold War. More here: https://danielrsmith.net/?p=34
The Folly and The Glory: America, Russia and Political Warfare 1945-2020,” by Tim Weiner
I’m not a huge fan of cold war spy thrillers. I’ve read a few and those mostly from the Soviet protagonists. This thorough history convinces me that there is so much unbelievable truth to still explore from this era that novels are not even necessary. It also helps draw a direct line between Putins’ KGB past and the policies he has continued to pursue in Russia over the last 20 years. I lived in Russia in the mid 90’s when there was both great frustration from suffering that followed the crumbling Soviet Union and a fragile but honest hope that democracy and greater freedoms could possibly finally come to Russia. This
“Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House,” by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz
How do you illustrate the corruption of the Trump administration without talking about the Trump administration? An insightful investigation into the corruption of vice president Spirow Agner during the Nixon administration. Behind the shadows of Watergate was a scandal that would have been among the worst abuses of executive power but was lost in the urgent need for quick resolution in order to pursue the challenges of preparing to prosecute a president. Insightful for it’s insight into history and as a reflection of our current times.
Non-Fiction/Biography
“Think Again: the Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know,” by Adam Grant
We read most of this one as part of our homeschool discussions in the spring. Adam Grant is a great storyteller with a writing voice that is easy to read. A wonderful manifesto on the power of listening, exemplifying and open mind and building a culture of curiosity. Easier said than done. But very very well said here.
“H is For Hawk,” by Helen Mcdonald
A fascinated journey through grief and discover as the author shares the story of training a hawk. Beautiful and captivating nature writing. One of the things I enjoyed most was how she reflected her hawking experience against the descriptions of author T. H. White’s work on the same experience. Insight into his struggles, both with the task of hawking and the challenges of his life, provided great insight in Macdonald’s own process. It left me with a mission to read “Sword in the Stone” to find some interesting examples of teaching and learning.
Sigh, gone: A Misfit’s Memoir of Great books, Punk Rock and the Fight to In”, by Phuc Tran
The title kind of says it all. But then the book says so much more. I loved the way the book was themed through classical works of literature. This belongs among the great and growing lists of books that describe the American immigrant experience.
“The Gene; An Intimate History,” by Siddhartha Mukherjee
This one sat on my shelf for quite a while. It’s not a quick read but surprisingly pleasant and easy for the depths of science it reaches. While the book does indeed provide an incredible history of the people and places that built from one discovery to another toward our current understanding of genes, it’s placed against the background of Muckherjee’s wonderings about his own family’s history of mental illness. Instead of just describing what we know about genes he takes us on a journey of how we know what we know.
“Humankind: A Hopeful History” by Rutger Bregman
Nadia sighs with frustration everytime “Lord of the Flies” comes up because she can’t stand the pessimistic, dark assumptions of human nature Golding implies. Rurger Bregman takes this head on here. While he explores many more themes and examples underlying the strength of our “better angels,” he starts emphatically by explaining why Golding may have had such a warped perception of human nature and providing a real-life counter example of island stranded youth whose nature rose to the occasion. If you are feeling down about the world, read this!
Fiction
“War and Peace,” by Leo Tolstoy
First, I would recommend a unique approach that helped me finally take on this infamously long book…read it on your phone. In early 2020 I loaded this on my kindle app. I turned to this when I couldn’t sleep, when stuck in traffic, when waiting in lines, etc.. It took many months but taking it bit by bit helped me really savor this true classic. As much of this happened against the backdrop of the first months of the coronavirus pandemic I suspect I’ll always overlap some of the themes and experiences in interesting ways. After two years of living in Russia and including Russian language and history in my university studies I”ve often tried to summarize Russia with two simples words: “proud stoicism.” This classic novel both confirmed my oversimplified description while adding great insight and depth to its meaning for me. There were some long and boring descriptions of war, tactics, etc.. but Tolstoy writes so powerfully with insight into people, psychology, faith, place and the emotions of the human spirit in both our best and worst moments.
“Overstory,” by Richard Powers
I”m not a tree hugger but this almost made me one. A thoughtful book about strangers who find their lives and experiences intertwined into the natural life of trees. It certainly inspired me to visit one of the most amazing natural wonders in the world that was only a couple hours away from me for most of my life and I had no idea. Our journey to Pando, the largest living organism in the world was documented by Maren here.
“Hamnet,” by Maggie O’Farrell
I found this to be a touching portrait of the life and world of Shakespeare. While deeply grounded in researched knowledge about his family, O’Farrell makes some brave but reasonable conjecture in dramatizing the tragic loss of Hamnet to the plague. A story forgotten and perhaps unknown because it has taken a talented writer’s bravery to finally guess at the colors between the lines only lightly shaded by the facts of history and easily overshadowed by focus given to one of Shakespeare’s greatest works that shares his lost son’s name.
“Sophie’s World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy,” by Jostein Gaarder
I’m not sure how this sat on my “to be read” list for such a long time, at least 15 years. I’m usually a bit intimidated by reading philosophy. I’m surely not the only one as there are many many books out there that try to take an alternative approach to explaining it. Fun stuff but never quite as descriptive, memorable and poignant as this stunning approach by Gaarder. While marching through a history of philosophy another story unfolds that you can sense is there but only unfolds bit by bit over time. A great mystery wrapped in the wisdom of philosophy.
Mystery
Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache Series
I read the last 10 or so of this in the last year. The first few are fun, if not a bit too “cute”, but they get better and better as Penny builds a cast of characters that feel a bit like family. I did have to give up a bit on my frustration that so much danger and drama could be connected to the tiny village of Three Pines but the depth and reality of character she builds with Inspector Gamache is amazing. I’ve read enough Scandanavian noir to be tired of the demon-riddled psyches of unorthodox cops breaking the rules that it is so refreshing to find a protagonist who authentically struggles with complex dilemma’s of his work but finds a way to take the high road. I’ve been a bit obsessed with the challenge we often face when the “right” course of action and the “correct” course of action don’t align. Inspector Gamache provides a great example of navigating these conflicts with care, compassion and dignity. I don’t often wish a fictional character existed in real life; the world would be a bit better if he did.
Colin Cotteril’s Dr. Siri Paiboun Series
Again, another series of novels. I sometimes feel that reading mystery’s is a bit indulgent and even a waste of time (it isn’t) so I make myself feel better by looking for series with settings that expand my knowledge of history and place. Dr. Siri Piboun is a retired coroner who continues to be called into duty in a series of stories taking place in the early days of communist Laos. With great insight into the unique story of Lao and it’s neighbors through this time period, this series also builds in a great amount of humor, irony and a broad range of unique recurring characters who are always so fun to greet again when I pick up the next in the series. Oh, and he talks regularly with the 1,000 year old spirit of a shaman that possess his body.
Speculative Fiction
Senlin Ascends, by Josiah Bancroft (Books of Babel series)
Bancroft builds a fascinating world where headmaster Thomas Senlin heads to an alternate world/history version of a Tower of Babel that is still standing and thriving at a time that feels late steampunk Victorian. He immediately loses his new bride and adventures ensue through the series as he moves from the lower worlds to higher levels of the tower. Wise, insightful, silly and creative storytelling craft a fascinating world and story. Senlin is broken and built back up again through the story and I can’t wait to read the conclusion which is still holding out some great mysteries about the nature of the Tower.
“The Long Way to Small, Angry Planet,” by Becky Chambers
This is not groundbreaking science fiction. But it’s super super fun. It’s a bit slow to start and it’s really about the characters more than the plot. A fun and fascinating set of adventurers that I look forward to reading more.
“A Memory Called Empire,” by Arkady Martine
I try to stay up to date with the Hugo and Nebula winners which is where I found this. For good reason. The first in the series builds a great mystery built around the challenge of inherited memories, a technology that belongs to a small civilization within the much larger galactic powers that dominate the universe of Martine’s series. Politics, mystery, and exploration of memory.
“Wayward Children” series by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire writes a LOT. She has a number of series that might be really great but nor really my cup of tea. But somehow I picked up her first book in the Wayward Children series, “Every Heart a Doorway.” Instead of trying to rebuild the trope of a curious child finding a way through a mysterious door into another world she explores the long term impact of what such an adventure might bring. What happens when Alice is done with Wonderland, how do the Pevensie’s really cope with the pressures of their Narnia lives? Do you go back to your family? School? Through these stories McGuire classifies the worlds and lets us see what some of these dimension exploring kids might experience when they can’t or won’t go back. She also does some fascinating work with identify and gender with all of these stories. Another bonus, they are short. But not sweet or simple.