2020: A year sheltered with books

Reading — perhaps this year more than ever — became an outlet. Books helped me explore, understand, and escape the reality of life during a pandemic.

It’s hard to summarize neatly what it’s been like to live through 2020. When the countdown on 2019 finished, the year started off much like any other — full of the usual promise and anticipation. In my review of 2019 books I read, I noted my optimism to spend much of 2020 in creation mode, including writing more.

In the early 2020 months life was mostly normal with the worst news being Australian bushfires and the untimely passing of the great Kobe Bryant. While America continued to be run by an incompetent administration, life mostly looked the same: going to work, meeting with friends, traveling to see family and work colleagues, etc.

In February that began to change as news of a “novel coronavirus” crept into the news — slowly at first, then a torrent. When I left work in late February for a multi-leg trip between New York, Kitchener-Waterloo, Los Angeles, and West Virginia, I didn’t bother to clean up my desk expecting to be back in a few weeks. That desk quickly became a time capsule capturing the rapidity in which COVID-19 changed our lives. I haven’t returned to it the rest of the year as offices and businesses moved online. The ability to visit family, friends, and colleagues likewise evaporated in a blur of face masks, stay-at-home orders, grocery store lines, and moving social interactions to Zoom calls.

My fiancée Amber and I canceled our wedding in May and rescheduled to September. We then rescheduled again to 2021. My 10-year Dartmouth College reunion, bachelor party to Zion National Park, and annual marathon trip (slated for Savannah in November): all canceled. Life became more isolated than I could have imagined. The months dragged by and the in-person interactions continued to run dry. Amber and I suddenly found ourselves in December spending Christmas in San Francisco — the first time I’ve ever not been at home.

The year has tried everyone in unique and personal ways. For me, more than anything, I have deeply missed seeing the people in my life and experiencing the adventures that give life its zest.

But 2020 has also been beautiful in other ways. I’ve never been forced to spend more time with myself and my thoughts. I’ve reflected more than ever on the small, yet sublime beauties that make existence so meaningful. I’ve called up friends I haven’t talked to in years. I invested in myself: my curiosities, talents, and peculiarities.

Reading — perhaps this year more than ever — became an outlet. Books helped me explore, understand, and escape the reality of life during a pandemic. With more time than ever at our San Francisco apartment (and 2-months during an escape to my uncle’s house in Hawaii), I found myself reading often. For example, in the time I would normally commute to and from work, I could delve into books. While I didn’t hit my 2020 goal for writing more, I did read and read…

Looking back on the 70 books I read in 2020 — yes, I had more time than usual during the pandemic! — I can discern patterns that mapped to this crazy, challenging, and singular year. Below are a few of those trends.

• During the onset of the pandemic, a turn towards understanding pandemics at an emotional and scientific level: Station Eleven and Influenza.
• During the BLM protests: The Fire Next Time, Race for Profit, White Rage, Eloquent Rage, Caste, and Kindred.
• During the emotional roller coaster of the US’s primary and general elections: Behold, America, The Myth of the Strong Leader, A Promised Land, First Principles, and Enter the Aardvark.
• During periods of creative and strategic growth at work: Bezonomics, The Ride of a Lifetime, Moonshots, and Loonshots.
• During periods of wanting to connect with my mother and our Chilean heritage: Curfew, The Absent Sea, and Ten Women.
• During periods of loneliness and/or introspection: The Duppy, Buddha’s Brain, Zhuangzi, Together, The Origins of You, and Mayakovsky Maximum Access.
• During times when I just wanted to escape to tales of murder and mystery : The Last Passenger, The Guest List, Mexican Gothic, and The Searcher.

Everything else pretty much is an encapsulation of my being a complete nerd and boundlessly curious let loose over the course of a quarantined year.

And, without exception, the other clear pattern is that the experience of reading was greatly enhanced by conversations with others. I appreciated friends who agreed to discuss books over Zoom. The meetings of our San Francisco Book Club added a variety of genres, new perspectives to the pages I read, and a regular meeting to look forward to every other month.

My top picks:

I generally get asked for a couple of recommendations at the end of the year, which I’ve included below. For the (few) people who read this blog post, please reach out if you ever want to discuss. There’s no better time to talk books than while sequestered during a pandemic :)

The top 5 fiction books I read this year:

(unordered)

1. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (1962)
2. The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty (1972)
3. Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan (1954)
4. The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee (2000)
5. Billy Budd, Bartleby, and Other Stories by Herman Melville (1856)

The top 5 non-fiction books I read this year:

(unordered)

1. Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick (1987)
2. Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries by Safi Bahcall (2019)
3. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2020)
4. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (2020)
5. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin (2005)

My year in books in data:

Because it wouldn’t be a complete Medium post from me without some data!

• 42 fiction (60%) vs. 28 non-fiction (40%) — I think this is indicative of the escapism trend of the year; Most popular fiction: 22 novels (54% of fiction); Most popular non-fiction: 7 social sciences (25% of non-fiction)
• Average book length: 303 pages; Median book length: 304 pages.
• Authors from 15 countries represented: Australia 🇦🇺, Canada 🇨🇦, Chile 🇨🇱, China 🇨🇳, France 🇫🇷, Germany 🇩🇪, Greece 🇬🇷, Ireland 🇮🇪, Jamaica 🇯🇲, Japan 🇯🇵, Mexico 🇲🇽, Russia 🇷🇺, UK 🇬🇧, US 🇺🇸, and Zimbabwe 🇿🇼.
• 47 books authored by men (67.1%), 21 authored by women (30.0%) and 2 authored by both men and women (2.9%).

My complete list of 2020 in Books:

1. Watchmen, Deluxe Edition by Alan Moore (1987, Fiction, Graphic Novel, US 🇺🇸, 448 pages)
2. George F. Kennan: An American Life by John Lewis Gaddis (2011, Non-Fiction, Biography, US 🇺🇸, 816 pages)
3. Women by Charles Bukowski (1978, Fiction, Novel, Germany 🇩🇪- US 🇺🇸, 298 pages)
4. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (2013, Fiction, Bildungsroman, Zimbabwe 🇿🇼, 320 pages)
5. The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire by William Dalrymple (2019, Non-Fiction, History, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, 576 pages)
6. Transparent Things by Vladimir Nabokov (1972, Fiction, Novel, Russia 🇷🇺, 128 pages)
7. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2005, Fiction, Sci-Fi, Canada 🇨🇦, 352 pages)
8. Resurrection Blues by Arthur Miller (2002, Fiction, Play, US 🇺🇸, 112 pages)
9. Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History by Dr. Jeremy Brown (2018, Non-Fiction, History, UK 🇬🇧, 272 pages)
10. Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick (1987, Non-Fiction, Science, US 🇺🇸, 384 pages)
11. The Coast of Utopia, Part I: Voyage by Tom Stoppard (2002, Fiction, Play, UK 🇬🇧, 114 pages)
12. The Coast of Utopia, Part II: Shipwreck by Tom Stoppard (2002, Fiction, Play, UK 🇬🇧, 130 pages)
13. The Coast of Utopia, Part III: Salvage by Tom Stoppard (2002, Fiction, Play, UK 🇬🇧, 128 pages)
14. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (2011, Fiction, Novel, US 🇺🇸, 288 pages)
15. The Invention of Love by Tom Stoppard (1997, Fiction, Play, UK 🇬🇧, 102 pages)
16. Lysistrata by Aristophanes (411 BC, Fiction, Play, Greece 🇬🇷, 40 pages)
17. The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee (2000, Fiction, Play, US 🇺🇸, 54 pages)
18. Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski (1982, Fiction, Novel, Germany 🇩🇪- US 🇺🇸, 288 pages)
19. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (2011, Fiction, Novel, US 🇺🇸, 415 pages)
20. Circe by Madeline Miller (2018, Fiction, Novel, US 🇺🇸, 416 pages)
21. Billy Budd, Bartleby, and Other Stories by Herman Melville (1856, Fiction, Short Stories, US 🇺🇸, 336 pages)
22. Vernon Subutex: Volume 1 by Virginie Despentes (2015, Fiction, Novel, France 🇫🇷, 340 pages)
23. The Last Passenger (Charles Lenox Mysteries, Book 13) by Charles Finch (2020, Fiction, Mystery, US 🇺🇸, 304 pages)
24. Bezonomics: How Amazon Is Changing Our Lives and What the World’s Best Companies Are Learning from It by Brian Dumaine (2020, Non-Fiction, Business / Management, US 🇺🇸, 336 pages)
25. Behold, America: The Entangled History of “America First” and “the American Dream” by Sarah Churchwell (2018, Non-Fiction, History, US 🇺🇸, 368 pages)
26. Life For Sale by Yukio Mishima (1968, Fiction, Novel, Japan 🇯🇵, 188 pages)
27. Avengers Epic Collection: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, 1–20 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby (1965, Fiction, Comic, US 🇺🇸, 456 pages)
28. The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Bob Iger (2020, Non-Fiction, Memoir, US 🇺🇸, 272 pages)
29. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (1963, Non-Fiction, Essays, US 🇺🇸, 106 pages)
30. Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (2019, Non-Fiction, Social Science, US 🇺🇸, 368 pages)
31. White Rage by Carol Anderson (2017, Non-Fiction, Social Science, US 🇺🇸, 304 pages)
32. Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper (2018, Non-Fiction, Social Science, US 🇺🇸, 288 pages)
33. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (1962, Fiction, Novel, Russia 🇷🇺, 315 pages)
34. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin (2005, Non-Fiction, Biography, US 🇺🇸, 721 pages)
35. Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson, Richard Mendius (2009, Non-Fiction, Self-Improvement, US 🇺🇸, 251 pages)
36. Zhuangzi: Basic Writings by Zhuangzi (Author), Burton Watson (Translator) (476–221 BC, Non-Fiction, Philosophy, China 🇨🇳, 168 pages)
37. Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Vivek H. Murthy M.D. (2020, Non-Fiction, Social Science, US 🇺🇸, 352 pages)
38. The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age by Archie Brown (2014, Non-Fiction, Social Science, UK 🇬🇧, 480 pages)
39. Curfew by José Donoso (1986, Fiction, Novel, Chile 🇨🇱, 310 pages)
40. Moonshots: Creating a World of Abundance by Naveen Jain (2018, Non-Fiction, Technology, US 🇺🇸, 288 pages)
41. The Duppy by Anthony C. Winkler (1996, Fiction, Novel, Jamaica 🇯🇲, 175 pages)
42. The Guest List by Lucy Foley (2020, Fiction, Mystery, UK 🇬🇧, 320 pages)
43. Mary by Vladimir Nabokov (1926, Fiction, Novel, Russia 🇷🇺, 114 pages)
44. The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard (1982, Fiction, Play, UK 🇬🇧, 144 pages)
45. Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov (1898, Fiction, Play, Russia 🇷🇺, 120 pages)
46. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2020, Fiction, Novel, Mexico 🇲🇽 — Canada 🇨🇦, 320 pages)
47. Mayakovsky Maximum Access: Selected Poems by Vladimir Mayakovsky, translated by Jenny Wade (2018, Fiction, Poetry, Russia 🇷🇺, 238 pages)
48. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (2020, Non-Fiction, Social Science, US 🇺🇸, 447 pages)
49. Vernon Subutex: Volume 2 by Virginie Despentes (2015, Fiction, Novel, France 🇫🇷, 352 pages)
50. Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky (2019, Fiction, Poetry, US 🇺🇸, 80 pages)
51. Money for Nothing: The Scientists, Fraudsters, and Corrupt Politicians Who Reinvented Money, Panicked a Nation, and Made the World Rich by Thomas Levenson (2020, Non-Fiction, Economics, US 🇺🇸, 480 pages)
52. Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries by Safi Bahcall (2019, Non-Fiction, Technology, US 🇺🇸, 368 pages)
53. The Origins of You: How Childhood Shapes Later Life by Jay Belsky, Avshalom Caspi, Terrie E. Moffitt, and Richie Poulton (2020, Non-Fiction, Social Science, US 🇺🇸, 432 pages)
54. The Searcher by Tana French (2020, Fiction, Mystery, US 🇺🇸 — Ireland 🇮🇪, 464 pages)
55. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (2012, Fiction, Novel, US 🇺🇸, 288 pages)
56. The Absent Sea by Carlos Franz (2005, Fiction, Novel, Chile 🇨🇱, 375 pages)
57. Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck (1962, Non-Fiction, Memoir, US 🇺🇸, 224 pages)
58. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace (1997, Non-Fiction, Essays, US 🇺🇸, 353 pages)
59. The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty (1972, Fiction, Novel, US 🇺🇸, 180 pages)
60. Kindred by Octavia Butler (1979, Fiction, Novel, US 🇺🇸, 264 pages)
61. The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations that Transform the World by David Deutsch (2011, Non-Fiction, Physics, UK 🇬🇧, 496 pages)
62. Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith (2016, Non-Fiction, Philosophy, Australia 🇦🇺, 272 pages)
63. Ten Women by Marcela Serrano (2011, Fiction, Novel, Chile 🇨🇱, 251 pages)
64. What Is Japanese Cinema?: A History by Yomota Inuhiko (2019, Non-Fiction, History, Japan 🇯🇵, 248 pages)
65. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2020, Non-Fiction, Biography, US 🇺🇸, 768 pages)
66. Faust, Book I by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1808, Fiction, Novel, Germany 🇩🇪, 304 pages)
67. First Principles: What America’s Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country by Thomas E. Ricks (2020, Non-Fiction, History, US 🇺🇸, 416 pages)
68. Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony (2020, Fiction, Satire, US 🇺🇸, 192 pages)
69. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (2020, Fiction, Novel, UK 🇬🇧, 272 pages)
70. Bonjour Tristesse & A Certain Smile by Françoise Sagan (1954 and 1956 respectively, Fiction, Novel, France 🇫🇷, 240 pages)