Pure Writerly Moments 2 (Short Stories, Essays, Book Reviews, and More)

2020 - a Review in Books

This was the year I was supposed to read less and engage more with the world. It was a noble instinct. And then the pandemic hit. I suddenly found myself with a lot less human contact and more incentive to read. But, unfortunately, I also found myself cut off from the best resource for paper books -- my university library.

Thus, this was the year of found books and PDFs. After reading many PDFs and quite a few mediocre paper books, I've come to the conclusion that a mediocre paper book is about as enjoyable as reading a good book on PDF. But that a great book is certainly worth reading on PDF over a mediocre paper book.

In short, content is king, but the texture of paper still matters.

The sloppy tumult of 2020, Trump zombies, pandemic blues, and the various headaches of dumb and dramatic (the dumbatic?) 21st century has left some of my blessed reading time stale. The quiet moments of sunsets, beach reading, and long walks should leave me fulfilled. It is wonderful, despite fears of the end of the world. But the prospect of the world ending or becoming irredeemably shit makes everything feel frivolous and stale.

The Lows. The lows of this year can be summed up in a few simple words: the dry, the nostalgic, and the found. Every year I proclaim that I will cut the fat from my reading list and every year there is fat to be found. Some of the worst books were the found books, books that I picked up because I felt I had no better alternative. "Who Moved My Cheese" which I found in a dumpster was probably better off there. "Manias, Crashes, and Panics" was a book I found at a thrift store last year when I went back to America. Insightful but pedantic. "Freefall" by Joseph Stiglitz was a book about the 2008 financial crisis. That seems a long time ago. I overestimated my interest in that event (one which I already knew a great deal about). There are other duds that probably bear mentioning. But why linger? We are fast approaching the future. Best to move on.

Lucky Man. That is the title of Michael J. Fox's biography. It sums up what I think of my life when it's populated by books like "Enlightenment Now," "The Great Gatsby," "Franny and Zooey," "Cat's Cradle," "Candide," "The Story of Art," "Skin in the Game," and the other great books of 2020. Some of these were new. Some of these were necessary because they were on hand. Many of these books were re-reads. No matter. They buoy me in troubling times.

Where you read...matters. I believe that reading is a sensual experience. It matters that a book is felt in one's hands rather than read on a cold dead screen. It matters that you read in a magical place to like Osaki Beach in Kawatana on a perfect September day. It matters that you can look out on Omura Bay from the window of your apartment on a day when you are reading "Candide."

But I long for...the truly exceptional. Life moves fast, things seem impermanent, life and humanity is a fickle, frivolous thing. One's reading should be vital. From this, I declare once again that I will try to develop a list of essential books to read for 2021. A list that is as vital as the oxygen I breathe. There is a list I created on Goodreads "to-read", as I was writing this, I decided to create a list entitled "vital books to read". It shall never grow beyond ten books, and I shall endeavor to make one out of every two books I read from that list. Thus, I shall read at least one vital book a month. Will that improve my odds of 2021 being a great year in reading? The title of the 21st century is: Curve Your Enthusiasm.

And the Award Goes to...The best book I read this year -- and I read it twice -- was "21 Lessons for the 21st Century." It helps that I found this book in Fukuoka, on a trip to renew my passport, a few weeks before the high point of the pandemic. It was the book that made me really think deeply about AI, tribalism, and the future of mankind. It also gave me a platform to find other great books and research that address 21st century problems. I remain a 20th century person, but books like these help me cope with our "dumatic" times.

That is my review of books for 2020.

I should not forget to mention that I finished writing a book this year. "They're Making it Up as They Go Along," a novel / literary experiment with my co-author Harry Whitewolf. I am not shy to say that my books are always among my favorites. When you long for great books, it is your responsibility to create some for the world to consume. Please check it out!