2020 Reading

My target was 65 books for 2020 and I managed 62, which given the intense periods of work I had in remote teaching mode during the first UK lockdown is better than I had anticipated.

Here's a photo of most of them collected together.

Most enjoyed (fiction) Terry Pratchett Lords and Ladies. For too long I was put off by the covers of the Terry Pratchett books (I know, don't judge a book ...) but having been introduced to them by M I am really pleased with them. 

Most enjoyed (non-fiction): Anthony Trewavas Plant Behaviour and Intelligence. This is an eye-opening evaluation of what it means to be intelligent and just how much intelligence is shown by plants. My only disappointment was that it was focused on angiosperms, but I really enjoyed learning about many different ideas in plant sciences. 

Best re-read(s): John Buchan The 39 Steps, Greenmantle, Mr Standfast, The Three Hostages, The Island of Sheep. Buchan's "shockers" as he called them are all fast-paced, well-plotted and the scenery is evocatively described, whether that be grimy London, Scottish deer forest, Norwegian Fjord or WW1 trenches . It is without doubt literature from the age of British Imperialism, and many would consider some of the language and themes unacceptable today, but it is literature of its time and to delete it would be to lose something of the richness of the development of the English suspense novel. 

Hardest going: JRR Tolkein - The Silmarillion. I was really proud of myself for making it all the way through and (mainly) keeping track of who everyone was. I read this in the summer, mainly at afternoon tea, sitting in my garden in the shade of next-door's apple tree and I think I will always associate this with the novel. Next up The Hobbit but T is not quite old enough yet. I think the thing that makes The Silmarillion hard-going compared to the other books is that the narrative is all at long-distance. It tells of great and terrible deeds, but the dialogue is limited and you never really "know" the characters. 

Least enjoyed: Robert Harris The Second Sleep. I just didn't "click" with this novel. There seemed to be too many unanswered questions and it felt quite bleak. I am usually a massive fan of his work, so I was surprised. 

I am going to stick with the 65 target for 2021, hoping for a