All the books I read in 2017
All thoses 3-for-2s that used to be so popular in English bookshops have steadily augmented my to-read pile over the years, so for 2017 I resolved not to buy any new books at all and instead chip away at that. And for once, the resolution held! Sadly, 22 books isn't much of a dent...
1: Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges (trans. various)
On the reading list for a very long time before it even made it to the reading pile; an excellent, thought-provoking volume of short stories. Not with a 100% hit rate by any means, but the best make it worth it. Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote particularly stuck in my mind.
2: Penguin Modern Poets 1 - If I'm Scared We Can't Win (Emily Berry / Anne Carson / Sophie Collins)
I've been meaning to read more poetry and a small volume of contemporary poetry seemed like a good place to start and a good cause to support. Anne Carson in particular stood out to me, but there is good work generally in here.
3: Monty: His Part in My Victory by Spike Milligan
I've been gradually reading Milligan's funny and poignant war memoirs over the past few years, this, the third, was probably the weakest yet (some of the jokes in the interludes fall very flat) but there's still enough here to be worth a read.
4: Artificial Life by Steven Levy
On my shelf for the longest time of any of these books as it was recommended (but not required) reading during my university studies. Artificial Life always captured my imagination more than Artificial Intelligence, and this is a fascinating, inspiring history and tour of the then-current (this book was far from new even when I bought it) state of the field. Levy always writes these things well, too.
5: Irrationality: The Enemy Within by Stuart Sutherland
Also a straggler from university, from the Human Systems course I think, I read most of this at the time as I chose the subject for one of my papers but this is the first time I've read it beginning to end. It's almost like a prototype Thinking Fast and Slow, covering many of the same topics and ending each chapter with some key learnings often told in a genuinely funny way. TF&S is probably more up-to-date and a slightly more satisfying read, but this is still vrey good.
6: Kusamakura by Natsume Sōseki (trans. Meredith McKinney)
Not a book to read for a story, as there barely is one at all, but to absorb it's ideas and the wonderful atmosphere of early 20th Century rural Japan.
7: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides (trans. Rex Warner)
On the pile since I did the Ancient Greece Coursera course about 5 years ago, this is a thorough (and unfinished) account of the long running war between Sparta and Athens which effectively closed the classical Greek period. It has a reputation of being a bit dry, but I found it quite compelling, especially the recounting of the Plataean escape and the tragically disastrous Sicillian expedition.
8: A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin
Gripping, fascinating, awe-inspiring and detailed non-fiction account of the Apollo space program from beginning to end. A long book but it flew by.
9: Star Wars: X-Wing: The Bacta War by Michael A. Stackpole
My journey through the Star Wars Novels I Didn't Read as a Teenager But Wanted To continues here. It's not great literature by any stretch but I rather enjoyed it. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have a nostalgic connection to the 90s Star Wars novels though.
10: The Secret Life of Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay
Another inspiring non-fiction work, detailing the lives, work and environment of the codebreakers working with Alan Turing et al. It's a shame the book is dressed up like the many dreary WW2 nostalgia lit books which clog the shelves of WHSmiths in train stations.
11: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (trans. Alan Russell)
Beautifully written in such a way that it even comes across in translation, but I found the tragedy got laid on a bit too thick towards the end for its reputation in realism. A bit too bleak for me.
12: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Honoured holder of the third longest stay on the reading pile here, I weirdly and vividly remember the exact day I bought it from a remainder shop on a trip home from University, thinking I'd read it on the train. Very glad to have finally gotten round to it (and along with the next book, a welcome antidote to the previous book), it's very funny, draws some wonderful characters and is more adult than I expected.
13: Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
It's a shame Wodehouse has this reputation of being read by a particular type of upper/middle class male (the type used in that episode of Black Books is perfect), as Jeeves stories are always a welcome and very funny tonic. They are like British sitcoms in written form, with a put-upon and not completely sympathetic protagonist getting caught up in some kind of scheme (with often cringe-inducing situations) which he won't come out of ahead in the end. Strangely, in my mind's eye while reading Hugh Laurie is perfect as Wooster but I do not see Stephen Fry as Jeeves as written here.
14: Whit by Iain Banks
This does a great job of making a devout member of a very odd cult a likable protagonist to root for, and also a sharp look at how religions start and grow along with the usual wry observations about the modern world in general you would expect from the author. The plot is a little predictable though and it runs out of steam at the end - it feels like it is missing a twist ending that is signposted but never comes.
15: Clean by Virginia Smith
An enlightening history of personal and social hygiene from as far back as it is possible to go until today. A little on the dry side of popular science books, but still interesting.
16: A Brief History of Misogyny by Jack Holland
An eye-opening, blisteringly well written examination of misogyny throughout history. If it doesn't make you angry you are a lost cause.
17: How Not to Play Chess by Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky
It's been too long since I last played a game of chess, and this book reignited the desire in me to do so. An entertainingly written guide to improving your basic game by highlighting common errors using some classic games. I struggled to read this on my commute (where I do most of my reading these days) as it needs concentration and ideally a handy chess board.
18: Sindbad and Other Stories from the Arabian Nights (trans. Husain Haddawy)
Just awful. Even the translator admits in his introduction these are not the best tales you are going to read, but I don't think I enjoyed a single one. Unlikable protagonists and rampant misogyny abound.
19: The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
For bleak, but beautifully written realism this is far more to my taste than Madame Bovary. The prose is breathtaking and the characters amazingly rendered and believable. As a spy thriller in the streets of London it feels like an ancestor of Le Carré. I shall not leave it so long to read more Conrad this time.
20: If This is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi (trans. Stuart Woolf)
Levi's memoir of his time in Auschwitz and subsequent return to Italy via Russia should be grim reading; and while it is horrifying it is also a surprisingly inspiring story with touches of humour in the descriptions of the various characters he meets along the way and the bureaucratic absurdity of his repatriation via Russia. A very important book, I wish I'd read it sooner.
21: Star Trek: The Final Reflection by John M. Ford
10 years on the to-read pile; I bought it (and his other Trek novel) second hand after reading Warren Ellis talking about them in the wake of the author's untimely death. It seemed like a good time to finally get to it with Discovery airing, and it turns out that it's had some influence on that show. It's a very nicely told world-building tale told as a book-within-the-book about an early peace-making effort between the Federation and Klingon Empire. Entirely from the point of view of a rising Klingon captain it's the earliest attempt to flesh out the culture, years before TNG, and surprisingly engrossing. His other book, How Much for Just the Planet? is now near the top of the to-read pile.
22: The Language of Cities by Deyan Sudjic
This was an exception to my resolution, being a Christmas present. An informative and opinionated exploration of what makes a city a city divided into a number of themes.