2020 has become a historical (due to lack of a more-apt word) year. I don’t want to go into details about the year, as you all experienced it along me. On personal level I went through loss and sickness. Throughout all these anxiety, depression, and hopelessness books kept me out of the whirlpool.
My Reading Planning
NUMBER OF BOOKS TO BE READ
Before beginning of the year I had decided to read one book per week. Since there are 52+ weeks in a year, I decided to read 53 books.
READING CHALLENGE
Along the number goal I also created, like I create every year, a reading challenge. Reading challenge serves as a guide to nudge me in the direction of diverse reading. My 2020 reading challenge had 23 items.
1. One book translated from Chinese
2. One book on Hindu or Sanatana Dharma philosophy
3. One book on Science
4. One book, which I feel I must revisit
5. One graphic novel/comic book
6. One book written in my mother tongue
7. One book written in an Indian language other than my mother tongue
8. One classic from the state I am currently living
9. One Russian novel
10. One book by a Nobel winning non-English writer
11. One short story collection
12. One book, which is turned into a movie/TV show
13. One book, which has been lying in my home library since a long time
14. One book, which everyone is reading or has already read
15. One book from my favourite genre but by a writer I have never read before
16. One humour/satire
17. One book, which has been lying partly finished since years
18. One horror book, only if I can dare to
19. One more from a series I have left unfinished
20. One from the genre I find most difficult to read (romance)
21. One more by Mary Westmacott
22. One economics book
23. One Terry Pratchett at least
READING TRACKING
I don’t use any online reading applications to track my reading because I want to track according to my personal requirements. And also there is no scope of competing with other readers. It is only I competing with myself from other years. This does not make me overwhelmed about my reading pace. I go at my own pre-planned pace.
I keep record of my reading in an Excel file.
The file has 3 sheets.
Sheet 1: TBR (To Be Read)
The column headings are
1. Serial Number
2. Book
3. Writer
4. Which Category of Reading Challenge it belongs to (if any)
5. Special remark (if any)
Sheet 2: Book Buying
The column headings are
1. Serial Number
2. Book
3. Writer
4. Date of Purchase (or date it is received in case of online buying)
5. Special remark (if any)
Sheet 3: Reading
The column headings are
1. Serial Number
2. Book
3. Writer
4. Book’s starting date
5. Book’s finishing date
6. Book’s first publication year
7. Number of pages
8. Special remark (if any)
PROCESS
From January I started working on the numbers. I aimed to read at least 5 books per month so it can automatically take care of the busy months when I would get less time to read. This of course does not work for all readers uniformly because I can understand for some taking time out is difficult and some other are going through reading slump. I have written few tips to combat reading slump in my “Art of Reading for Pleasure” blog post. The tips may help you.
BOOK BUYING
An important consequence of planning the reading of the year is focused buying.
Focused buying means I buy only the books I am seriously planning to read within a month. And also it pertains instead of buying more books I try to finish the unread books from my personal library.
I have bought very few books last year. Among those few books bought, only 3 books I could not finish in 2020. But then I am reading those books now (January, 2021) and hopefully will finish soon. Apart from control on spending money there is no more guilt from buying-in-bulk-and-leaving-all-unread for me.
WHY TO PLAN READING
Maybe keeping score is lame and meaningless but in my case with a number as a goal in front of me works as a huge motivation to spend more time on reading rather than wasting time or generally getting anxious about things (I have anxiety issue).
This whole planning process, the thoughts going in it, and the execution have brought some purpose to my miserable life. It has given me a sense of purpose to carry on with life in the midst of hopelessness. I get a sense of win after finishing my goal.
Planning my reading systematically has really worked for me. This planning is tailor made for me but it may not help all readers universally. Still I have shared my experience in the hope that a snippet here and there may help someone somewhere.
FINAL RESULT
By the end of the year I managed to read 57 books and also ticked off all items from my reading challenge.
The highlights of my reading experience in 2020:
1. SIMULTANEOUS READING
Like last year I continued simultaneous reading. More or less I followed the same method – reading one novel with a short works collection or a nonfictional book. I have to say I am getting better at it. And in some cases I would strongly recommend it. For instance readers may not want to read more than one chapter in nonfictional technical books at one go. When I was reading books like “Brief History of Time” or “Founders of Philosophy”, after finishing each chapter I used to sum up the chapter before starting the next chapter. While summing up I could read a novel in spare time. This also gave me sort of break from the technical book. I will continue doing it.
2. REREADING
I reread many old favourites. In total I reread 9 books in 2020. It refreshed my memory and also I could write blog posts on these books as I had not written my musing on them before. Rereading helped me understanding some books better. I saw few books in new perspectives. I am planning to reread more books in 2021.
3. DISCWORLD
My love affair with Terry Pratchett’s Discworld became more solid this year. I read 7 books from the series in 2020.
4. HORROR
Since I get scared so easily I never dare to read horror genre. The biggest achievement of 2020 has to be me reading a horror book. That too no less than a book by H. P. Lovecraft! I am going to read more books by H. P. Lovecraft not because I fell in love with horror genre. I am still mousy so far as getting scared is concerned. The thing is I love H. P. Lovecraft’s writing style a lot.
5. NONFICTION
I was never a fan of nonfiction books because when one says nonfiction books I picture self-help books. But since last few years I sheepishly realised nonfiction can imply technical books too. In 2020 I learnt a lot by reading 4 nonfiction books. In 2021 I am going to gain more knowledge about this world by reading more nonfictions.
6. SOCIAL NETWORK
I have been active in social network by discussing about books and sharing my reading, reviews, and book pictures etc. It has encouraged me in reading a lot. So far as it remains limited to book related posts it is fine. However many times I end up doing online window-shopping or watching videos. That is needless to say huge waste of time. I wish I would do less of that in 2021.
7. WRITING AND RECOLLECTION
I have realised recently recollection of the book (at least essence of the book) is equally important as reading itself. It helps in recollection when I write my thoughts in detail on each book I finish. This does not only involve writing but also involves practically reading the book once again. And also to help in writing I make notes while reading. Sometimes I write summaries of books, if I feel it will help me in getting a structure. “If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller” is one such book. Hence finishing a book for me means reading it, note taking, writing blog post on it, and sometime writing the summary. Thus it takes much more time to finish a book otherwise it would have taken. But it is totally worth it.
Now the main course, the musing on the 57 books I read in 2020.
1. Red Dust: A Path Through China by Ma Jian
I enjoyed and could partly identify with the book. My musing on the book can be read at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/01/11/musing-on-red-dust-a-path-through-china-by-ma-jian/
2. Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter by Jean-Yves Ferri and Illustrated by Didier Conrad
Because of the hype created for a female character in this old favourite comic book series, I read this book but was utterly disappointed. My musing on the book can be read at
3. Maigret and the Man on the Bench by Georges Simenon
Once while browsing aimlessly in a bookstore I met police detective Jules Maigret first time in Madame Maigret’s Friend. It was not a mind-blowing suspense or thrilling book but I enjoyed the book, which covered the seedy underbelly of old Paris.
After that I watched the new ITV TV series Maigret. I had never thought I would like Mr Bean aka Rowan Atkinson so much in a serious role. Atkinson was perfect as the sincere and taciturn police detective. He made me more interested in Maigret book series. The series is originally written in French by Georges Simenon.
On a recent trip to bookstore I saw another Maigret, Maigret and the Man in the Bench and bought it.As I was on a holiday mode, what is better than relaxing with a murder mystery set in the 50s! Like the previous book, this one too followed the police procedure religiously. Unlike British classic murder mysteries, this series does not dwell much on the suspects. It is all about Maigret as a detective doing everything by the book and then catching the murderer. Although in the TV series he does not do everything always by the book.
A dead body was discovered in a shady alley in Paris and would have been buried under piling mugging deaths had Maigret not been interested in the shoes of the dead man. It is something called Goose Poo shoes, I understand a flamboyant pair which conservative Europeans would not approve of. Maigret got fascinated with the man in the flashy shoes, a man enjoying his freedom suddenly.
Then gradually we met the people in the man’s life – the dissatisfied nagging and controlling wife and her family, the yearning-for-freedom daughter and the thoughtless ex-employee. Among all these the murdered man enjoyed moments of freedom with his flashy shoes and tie.
As usual Maigret catches the culprit but things generally don’t end happily for rest of the characters. What I mean is there is no tightening of all loose ends like Agatha Christie books. Because that’s the life of a police detective catching the murderers and yet helpless to help real people with real problems.
4. Madam Bovary by Gustav Flaubert
I am feeling a sense of achievement by reading an all time classic. My musing on the book can be read at
5. Killing Floor by Lee Child
Discovering a new series which one enjoys reading is always a beginning of a pleasant journey. I have begun my journey of Jack Reacher series with reading the first book Killing Floor. My musing on the book can be read at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/02/02/musing-on-killing-floor-by-lee-child/
6. The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey
Josephine Tey is again another one from my long-pending-to-be-read-writers list. As a big fan of old world British murder mystery, I am ashamed of my late entry as a Josephine Tey reader. The fictional sleuth created by her is Inspector Alan Grant. Again thanks to (not in a good way) my compulsive nature I had to start the Inspector Alan Grant series in the chronological order. The first book of the series is The Man in the Queue published in the year1929.
Alan Grant is a hardworking intelligent police inspector, for whom work is life like all fictional sleuths.
If Grant had an asset beyond the usual ones of devotion to duty and a good supply of brains and courage, it was that the last thing he looked like was a police officer. He was of medium height and slight in build, and he was—now, if I say dapper, of course you will immediately think of something like a tailor’s dummy, something perfected out of all individuality, and Grant is most certainly not that; but if you can visualize a dapperness that is not of the tailor’s dummy type, then that is Grant.
Thanks to a legacy he does not have to depend on his salary for survival. He leads a comfortable life with affording few luxuries once in a while. He is not the man of action who loves to make his hands dirty with chasing dangerous criminals. He is more into mind games.
What interested him was the possible play of mind on mind, of emotion on emotion.
He is pretty normal compared to great fictional sleuths. He does not have any quirkiness or compulsive disorders like Monsieur Poirot and Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Interestingly, there are many reference of Holmes in the book.
“Well,” said Grant, “what do you know?” “A man,” said Williams. “Not well off. Not used to writing much. Clean. Smokes. Depressed.” “Excellent!” said Grant. “You’re no good as a Watson, Williams. You get away with all the kudos.” Williams, who knew all about Watson—at the age of eleven he had spent hunted moments in a hayloft in Worcestershire trying to read The Speckled Band without being discovered by Authority, who had banned it
The Speckled Band was banned somewhere and sometime in history!
In a queue to buy tickets for a musical play a man was murdered, most stealthily. Inspector Grant must find the identity of the murdered man and his killer. Like the usual practice of the time Grant tilts a wee towards racism.
adducing any theories about foreigners beyond remarking that it was a very un-English crime.
He even called the unknown murderer a Levantine.
Then Grant leads police procedure actively to capture this supposedly Levantine.
The things I liked about the book are well-crafted characters, beautiful narration of the contemporary society and clever style of writing.
Monday mornings should be burnt out of the calendar with prussic acid.
Monday blue did exist in that era and place too! I had thought in England the mood in 1920s was “What is a Weekend?”
Grant is full of self-doubt (like yours truly) so lots of pages are full of self-questioning and his whole thinking process till he reaches at the right conclusion. So we readers have to sit through lots of wild imaginations and pointless thoughts. This is clearly the buzzkill for a thriller
The ending is a huge let down. Why to create a “clever” sleuth if someone else is going to answer all of their questions just like that, especially after putting the readers through pages of boredom!
Overall the book did not work for me. But I have not given up on Josephine Tey. I read one of the Inspector Grant books, “The Daughter of Time” was voted as the greatest mystery novel of all time by the Crime Writers’ Association in 1990. So I am definitely going to read this book. Tey has also written many standalone mysteries. I may try one of those.
Reading “The Man in the Queue” is not total loss for me because now I have ticked off “One book from my favourite genre but by a writer I have never read before” from my reading challenge 2020.
7. Manoj Panchavishati by Manoj Das
After ages I read a book in my mother tongue, Odia. My musing on the book can be read at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/02/11/musing-on-manoj-panchavishati-by-manoj-das/
8. Skandgupt by Jai Shankar Prasad
As per my reading challenge, I chose this long-awaited-to-be-read book in Hindi under “a book written in an Indian language other than my mother tongue”. My musing on the book can be read at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/02/15/skandgupt-by-jai-shankar-prasad/
9.While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark
Generally I get scared quite easily and Mary Higgins Clark always successfully manages to scare me, but her book While My Pretty One Sleeps made me extra scared. To know why read my musing at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/02/16/musing-on-while-my-pretty-one-sleeps-by-mary-higgins-clark/
10. The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
The Railway Children (1906) is counted among the best books of all time. It can be easily branded as a children book given the chief characters being children and the story narrated from their point of view. But the universal nature of struggle and kindness makes it an ideal read for all age groups. My musing on the book can be read at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/03/03/musing-on-the-railway-children-by-e-nesbit/
11. Ask A Policeman by Various Members of The Detection Club
If you are passionate about classic British murder mysteries then you must be aware of the existence of something called “The Detection Club”. Established in the year 1930, this elite club boasts of all high and mighties of murder mystery genre as members. This club is still alive today although now the field is broader and writers of espionage and thriller genres are included as members too.
When the club started, apart from dining and gossiping the members had shoptalk and created I special rule on writing a murder mystery.
The club made it mandatory for the member writers to show all their cards to readers in all their books. That means the writers can’t keep any finding by the detective away from the readers. Readers should have all the facts as the detectives. Then it is a competition between the reader and the detective – who can solve the puzzle faster. Although it is no rule of the land yet the members good naturedly adhered to the rule.
While doing shoptalk they started creative collaborations. Thus was born many books including Ask A Policeman (1933), written by 6 members, foreword by another member and preface by yet another member named Agatha Christie. You may have heard of her!
My musing on the book can be read at
12. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
This book I took up because everyone seems to be reading the book. I rarely read recently published books and this is one of them. Not only the book did not disappoint me, it also shook me to my core. My musing on the book can be read at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/03/02/musing-on-the-silent-patient-by-alex-michaelides/
13. All Around the Town by Mary Higgins Clark
As in my musing on the 9th book of 2020, “While My Pretty One Sleeps” by Mary Higgins Clark I have written, as homage to the recently departed writer I have decided to read few books by her this year. This book “All Around the Town” (1992, bought from a used bookstall in 2014 and lying in my home library since then, was recommended strongly by many of her fans online. So I chose this book as the second book by her this year.
My musing on the book can be read at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/03/09/musing-on-all-around-the-town-by-mary-higgins-clark/
14. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
To know how some stickers and half hidden writing in a used book drive me into a overthinking frenzy and also to know my thoughts on Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White read on
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/musing-on-used-books-and-charlottes-web/
15. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
A book I read only to tick off my “romance” box in reading challenge, now I wonder if I can tick off, to know more read on
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/musing-on-crazy-rich-asians/
P.S. I am going to tick off “one book, which is made into a movie instead” box instead of romance.
16. The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
For my short story collection entry in my reading challenge, I read The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami. Going by my resolution of reading newer (for me) writers, I should have taken a book by a different writer but I have been missing reading Murakami and in addition in this difficult time it felt comfortable to take refuse in familiar territory.
This book has 17 short stories. In many stories Murakami has crossed the boundary of familiarity and written in a different style or taken up a different area compared to his usual. (At least between reader and writer, someone is not afraid of unfamiliar territories). The fresh approach in many of his stories, is the main reason I enjoyed reading the book.
For more details read on at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/05/16/musing-on-the-elephant-vanishes-by-haruki-murakami/
17. Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Wonder by R. J. Palacio is sweet, positive and highly readable. I could finish it within a day, a first in a long long time. Somehow in the similar position as the parents of August, the lead character of the book, I would say the book is a fairytale. The escapism in it is like opium. One wants to take it to forget the real life for some time.
Because real life is not a fairytale for a special child, her parents or her sibling. To know more read on at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/05/16/musing-on-wonder-by-r-j-palacio/
18. The Poison Belt and 2 short stories (The Disintegration Machine, When the World Screamed) by Arthur Conan Doyle
I saw a collection of Professor Challenger stories by Arthur Conan Doyle in a bookstore and had to buy it just for the novelty of another protagonist in a Doyle’s book. But later found out I have read a story by Professor Challenger before. Please continue reading at
19. Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is one of my most favourite books. The copy I possess is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts. There are four books in it. Later Adams wrote another book called “Mostly Harmless” and incorporated it in the series. It has now become A Trilogy in Five Parts.
Please continue reading at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/05/18/musing-on-mostly-harmless-by-douglas-adams/
20. If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino
I don’t think I have ever worked so much on another book or any test in my life. I had read the book once before but had not written my musing on it. This time I had decided to write. When I started reading with the intention of writing on it, I realised how layered and complex the book. To clear my mind first I wrote summary of the book, which I have never done before for a fiction.
I hope I have managed to capture the essence of the book in my musing
21. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
This is one of the most beautiful (literally) and innovative books I have read. My musing on the book can be read at
22. The Wimbledon Poisoner by Nigel William
When I spotted The Wimbledon Poisoner by Nigel William in a used book stall, I had never heard of it before.
I picked it up firstly for my interest. Secondly watching the Wimbledon grand slam with my late father is one of the fondest memories I have. Thirdly I loved the cover illustration by Pierre le Tan. Fourthly I saw on the back page some mention about “humour in the book” and humour is my lifestyle. I have bought unknown books for single reasons and here I was served on platter with four reasons in favour of it so I snagged it.
And this time I totally nailed picking up an unknown book. My musing on the book can be read at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/06/06/musing-on-the-wimbledon-poisoner-by-nigel-william/
23. Death is Now My Neighbour by Colin Dexter
Inspector Morse is a very well known crime TV series. I have on and off watched the series and its prequel Endeavor. In last city book fair I picked up an Inspector Morse book called Death is Now My Neighbour written by Colin Dexter, assuming it to be a book based on the TV series a la Murder She Wrote books.
I had strong craving for murder mysteries as monsoon touched our city. After The Wimbledon Poisoner, I picked up this book to read.
I was really surprised to read in the introduction of the book that the TV series is based on the book series, not the other way round as I had assumed. It enhanced my interest in the book by manifold.
However the book did not, as they say, “blow my mind”. I would classify it under “time pass”.
For the Master post of Oxford University, two names are shortlisted. Two murders committed in a different area, which are linked to these two short listed names. Morse and his loyal sidekick Lewis from police department are onto it.
The narration is not nail-biting and the plot could not keep me hooked. By the time the murderer was disclosed I was conflicted between two states of mine – “too bored to care” and “what disclosure? I knew it all along”
To project Morse as an intellectual cop, each chapter starts with some literary quote. Given that every 4/5 pages a new chapter starts, readers become bombarded with quotes. At some point my brain could not decide if I was reading a murder mystery or a book of quotes.
And then like the TV series, in the book too a major portion is dedicated to existential crisis and alcoholism of Morse. It is difficult for someone to get involved in these non-murder crises in the book if they are not connected to the character, especially if someone who is reading their first book about the character.
In true tradition of fictional detectives Morse is a class 1 jerk with borderline verbal/emotional abusive towards other people. Yet other people, especially Lewis worships him.
I felt a little depressed after finishing the book because of the time I wasted on the book, which I would never get back. And for all these wasted time I can’t even brag to people who watch the TV series by saying, “the book is better”. Because the book is definitely not better.
But it is not fair to judge a book series based on only one book. The quality fluctuates within series. So I will definitely try another Inspector Morse book by Colin Dexter. He has won some award for The Wench is Dead and The Way Through the Woods. I may try these two books.
24. The Agatha Christie Hour by Agatha Christie
There was a TV series called The Agatha Christie Hour, originally aired in 1982. Each episode is a short story written by Agatha Christie. The short stories are taken from various sources and compiled in this book. My musing on the book can be read at https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/06/28/musing-on-the-agatha-christie-hour-by-agatha-christie/
25. Making Money by Terry Pratchett
As a reader maybe my highlight of 2020 is going to be “rereading”. Making Money by Terry Pratchett is another book I read recently for the second time.
When I read the book long time back, I had enjoyed the book no doubt. However at that time I was clueless about the characters and events of Discworld as well as I was unfamiliar with Mr. Pratchett’s style and sense of humour.
More at https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/06/28/musing-on-making-money-by-terry-pratchett/
26. Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin
For some serious thoughts on the multipurpose reply “Fair enough”, looking up religiously all incomprehensible words/expressions/references and a new fictional detective John Rebus’ adventure in Hide and Seek read my piece at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/07/11/musing-on-hide-and-seek-by-ian-rankin/
27. An Unseen Attraction by K. J. Charles
Generally I don’t enjoy the romance genre so much. So to make myself go out of my comfort zone I decided to include one romance in my reading list of 2020. While I was in search of a “romance”, one thing I realised. I have never read a full fledged queer romance. While going through various lists on queer literature I finally stumbled on An Unseen Attraction, the first book of Sins of the Cities trilogy by K. J. Charles. What instantly attracted me about the book is the Victorian set up, the parson of indeterminate race on the cover and the subplot of murder in it. Nothing can get more romantic than a Victorian romance!
More on the book at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/07/17/musing-on-an-unseen-attraction/
28. The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie
This year is weird for everyone including me. Book reading has become affected like everything else. It is almost impossible to get immersed inside a serious book with full house 24/7 and the endless chores. Thanks to my obsessive compulsion I am still being able to do some reading as according to my mind I must keep on ticking off the items in my reading challenge. Still I am lagging far behind so far as reading challenge goes. I have been mostly reading according to my whims.
I have fallen in this routine of going back to past. I want to revisit the books I read in past only to remember the feelings I had while reading them for first time. So I decided to revisit The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie.
More at https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/07/21/musing-on-the-mysterious-mr-quin-by-agatha-christie/
29. The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
According to my excel sheet and then as corroborated by the writing on the book, I have supposedly read this book in 2014. But I have absolutely no memory of reading the book. In my defense, in 2014 I had yet to fall in love with Discworld and I was at a strange place in that year. With so much rereading going on in my life it is only fair I take up this book and of course the bonus is another Discworld book! And also low key I want to check if my memory of the book is completely erased or there’s at least some trace left.
More at https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/07/26/musing-on-the-fifth-elephant-by-terry-pratchett/
30. Founders of Philosophy by Various writers
I have not studied philosophy academically ever. I have some kind of minimum idea about western philosophy by reading rudimentary books such as Sophie’s World.
However I am ashamed to say I didn’t have any idea about Indian philosophy. In fact I did not even know there is any kind of Indian philosophy. Like any common Indian, I know the stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and various Puranas. I have never studied Vedas or Upanishadas in original unabridged form. It was in the back of my mind vaguely that Vedas and Upanishas contain stories from mythologies, praises for Gods, and rituals.
When I had a revelation about Indian philosophy apart from feeling stupid, I strongly felt to amend my ignorance. I bought few books but could never read one till now. As I read this slim book of 71 pages I felt as if my mind has exploded.
My musing on this book became so big that I had to divide it in 7 parts.
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/07/28/musing-on-founders-of-philosophy-i/
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/07/28/musing-on-founders-of-philosophy-iii-patanjali-by-m-p-pandit/
31. Problem at Pollensa Bay by Agatha Christie
In search of two cases of Mr. Quin I bought Problem at Pollensa Bay by Agatha Christie. Another joyful ride by Christie more at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/07/30/musing-on-problem-at-pollensa-bay-by-agatha-christie/
32. The Stranger by Albert Camus
I have been meaning to read The Stranger (or The Outsider as called in UK) by Albert Camus since years. Years of not reading a book and then one night I finished it in few hours at a single sitting!
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/07/31/musing-on-the-stranger-by-albert-camus/
33. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
I am on a firm mission to finish all 41 Discworld books before I die of old age or an unhealthy lifestyle. Here is my thought on the first book (6th book for me as a reader) of the series
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/08/05/music-on-the-colour-of-magic/
34. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
For me the fantasy is not magic or a flat world on four elephants. For me the real fantasy is when entirely different kind of two people meet and face many adventures and then become BFF (best friend forever). Because I have never become BFF with even non-different kind of people, or with entirely similar kind of people, or with myself (if there would be my clone some day). Moreover there is complete lack of any scope for adventures other than buying a different brand of coffee once in a while.
Hence for me the adventures of Rincewind and Twoflower became a great escape for some days as I read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic back to back.
More on The Light Fantastic at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/08/07/musing-on-the-light-fantastic/
35. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
My third Terry Pratchett in a row! If I can read 5 books of Discworld every year then maybe I can finish the series before death. Coming back to Equal Rites there is finally a female wizard in fantasy worls, who is also the lead not the sidekick. More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/08/17/musing-on-equal-rites/
36. Death of a Cad by M. C. Beaton
when it rains nonstop I am legally (almost?) obliged to read a murder mystery or at least a thriller. So here is my musing on my 36th book of the year, which is a murder mystery but it is also a romance!
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/08/24/musing-on-death-of-a-cad-by-m-c-beaton/
37. Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction by Various
This book has been lying since a long time with me. I remember buying the book with lots of excitement, because as a fan of Narnia series I thought it would be a treat to read the contents, which inspired C. S. Lewis.
More at
38. Sarasvatichandra I: Buddhidhan’s Administration by Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi
This is a Gujarati classic translated to English by Tridip Suhrud. The book is first part of a tetralogy. I read the book for “a book from the state you are currently residing in” entry of my reading challenge. More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/09/14/musing-on-sarasvatichandra-i-buddhidhans-administration/
39. Amar Chitra Katha Box Set – Mahabharata 1: The Kuru Princes
In a very difficult juncture of my life, this book gave me lots of solace.
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/09/29/amar-chitra-katha-box-set-mahabharata-1-the-kuru-princes/
40. The Rose and the Yew Tree by Mary Westmacott
September brought the worst things for me so among other things my reading suffered too. To get a grip on everything, I have decided to finish a book within a day few times this month. First in the line was The Rose and the Yew Tree by Mary Westmacott.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/10/03/the-rose-and-the-yew-tree-by-mary-westmacott/
41. A River Sutra by Gita Mehta
A River Sutra (1993) by Gita Mehta is the second book I tried to finish within a day and so happy to say succeeded. At this juncture even a tiny win is a huge help towards keeping my sanity.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/10/03/musing-on-a-river-sutra-by-gita-mehta/
42. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
Anyone even casually following my reading activities would know I have fallen big time in love with Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. I had already read 5 books of the series this year and there was no plan to read more. But unexpected things happened and I took up another Disc world book Unseen Academicals to pep myself up. And also the book had been lying unread since 2012 so it was high time.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/10/19/musing-on-unseen-academicals/
43. A Deadly Judgment by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain
Another comfort read I picked up because time is BAD
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/10/20/musing-on-a-deadly-judgment/
44. The Lurker at the Threshold by H P Lovecraft
Finally I dared to read a horror book. This is one item in my reading challenge 2020, which I never thought I could finish.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/10/24/musing-on-the-lurker-at-the-threshold/
45. Mary Mary by James Patterson
Generally murders without a solid motive is not my cup of tea but there was a phase when I used to read quite a lot of books on psycho serial killers and I still watch many contents on psycho serial killers. Since reading in this year is about revisiting, I decided to revisit this genre, which I have not read since a long time.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/10/28/musing-on-mary-mary/
46. Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Since last year I have decided to read at least one Russian classic every year. This is my Russian of the year.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/10/30/musing-on-dead-souls/
47. The Reprieve by Jean-Paul Sartre
According to my reading challenge – 2020, I was supposed to read a book from a half-finished series. For that I chose The Reprieve (1945) by Jean-Paul Sartre.
This is the second book in the series The Roads to Freedom.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/11/10/musing-on-the-reprieve/
48. The Time Traders by Andre Norton
This book was given as my daughter’s Diwali vacation reading assignment. As I found out the genre is science fiction, I had to read the book. The ideas in the book are quite dated but I enjoyed reading it.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/11/15/musing-on-the-time-traders/
49. Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
I have been lusting after the cover of Sourcery by Terry Pratchett. Recently I saw this book in hardcover at a discounted rate in Amazon. Obviously I succumbed to the temptation. I am so glad I bought the book. It is one of those Discworld books where I have to underline almost each line with renewed amazement at the writer’s brilliance again and again.
My detail thoughts on the book is at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/11/20/musing-on-sourcery/
50. A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang to Black Hole by Stephen Hawking
After keeping A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang to Black Hole by Stephen Hawking for years as a decoration piece I took strong resolution to read the book this year.
The piece I wrote on the book is not a review but summing up of the information given in the book. So it is more like a companion to the book.
More at
51. After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
Some time I crave to go to The Murakamian Dimension and lately I had a strong craving. Some how Haruki Murakami’s short stories can’t transfer me to that dimension completely. So only option was rereading one of his novels. But then I read somewhere After the Quake is not a proper short story collection as all stories are connected. It is like a one single story. Hence After the Quake came to my life.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/11/28/musing-on-after-the-quake/
52. Wonder Woman: A Celebration of 75 Years by Various
Last year I read the 75th year anniversary issue of Batman and really really enjoyed reading it. So this year I had looked forward to reading Wonder Woman: A Celebration of 75 Years.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/12/15/musing-on-wonder-woman-a-celebration-of-75-years/
53. Murder She Wrote: Martinis and Mayhem by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain
I bought a bunch of books from the Murder She Wrote series some time back and take up one when I want really some “comforting”. And I have never needed more comforting than in 2020. So I took up my second book of the series in this year, Martinis and Mayhem (1995) by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/12/14/musing-on-murder-she-wrote-martinis-and-mayhem/
54. Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Ken Binmore
I had read some rudimentary Game Theory as part of my course. I had found it to be interesting and always wanted to get back to but could never do it. This year in reading challenge I added an introductory book of Game Theory so that after refreshing my memory I may read more extensively on the topic later if I feel like.
From asking around in various Facebook book groups, I found out about Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Ken Binmore.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/12/14/musing-on-game-theory-a-very-short-introduction/
55. PREDATOR by Patricia Cornwell
Once upon a time I used to read Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series a lot. But I have not read the books since some time. Recently I decided to revisit one of her books, PREDATOR (2005).
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/12/24/musing-on-predator/
56. A Pelican at Blandings by P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse needs no introduction. He has made generations of readers laugh and giggle (and maybe few smirks by the stiff-upper-lip-upper-class, the subjects of his books). No one has given away as much of laughs at the cost of upper class Britain as him.
This year I have been picking up many writers I did not read since a long time. Since I am very fond of Blandings Castle series by Wodehouse, it was a natural choice for my reading or rather rereading list.
More at
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/12/29/musing-on-a-pelican-at-blandings/
57. Men without Women by Haruki Murakami
8 years back I had started my journey into the world of Haruki Murakami and today with a heavy heart I have to say that journey is over. I have no plan to read his nonfictional works in near future. I hope he writes and publishes more books as soon as possible for my sake.
Here is my musing on the last fiction I read by Murakami Men without Women
https://jeeta.wordpress.com/2020/12/31/musing-on-men-without-women/
End Word
Obviously 57 is a big number for me. And reading so many books is the single most positive significant thing to happen to me in 2020. I don’t think I can read as much in 2021. Because I am planning to focus on few thick books such as Infinite Jest and also on my creative writing. So reading wise 2020 would always the best year of my life.
Musings 