Reading the 20th Century discussion

Okay, a bit early, but the discussion thread is now ready for when you want to reflect upon your year in reading...

It's the time of year when many of us take a backwards glance at the year that was, so with that in mind here's a little questionnaire designed to share what we have each enjoyed about 2022 here at RTTC and what we are looking forward to in 2023....


What was the best book you read in 2022?

What was the worst book you read in 2022?

Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2022?

What are your reading plans for 2023?

Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2023?

What else do you want to say about what you read in 2022?


OPTIONAL EXTRAS (thanks Ben)

Fiction vs non-fiction?

Male v female?

Contemporary v non-contemporary?

Nationalities of author breakdown?

English v translated?

Don't we normally do a statistical review as well? Fiction/non-fiction, male/female, contemporary/non-contemporary, U.K., Non-U.K. English, Translated etc.?

We've never done that Ben however let's make it an optional extra for anyone who wants to do a deep dive into their reading choices over the year - I'll edit the original post

Great suggestion - thanks

UPDATED: I thought I posted this in the Midnight Bell thread, but now see that I posted it here. I've added my responses to Nigeyb and Ben's questions further below (and moved my original comment to the "what else do you want to say" question):

What was the best book you read in 2022? Murmur by Will Eaves

What was the worst book you read in 2022? Cursed Bunny and A Stranger on the Beach

Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2022? Gosh, several. Definitely, Will Eaves. Also, George Eliot.

What are your reading plans for 2023?
I would like to read works by "great" authors I've somehow neglected e.g. Dostoevsky, Thomas Bernhard, Annie Ernaux, Jon Fosse. I would also like to take on (and finish this time) at least one of the biggies, such as Ulysses or In Search of Lost Time

Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2023? The Years and The Years :-)

What else do you want to say about what you read in 2022?
My reading has come in fits and starts this year. Last year I read (finished) 67 books and this year, only 20. I'm not sure what the problem is. I reached the 90% point of Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man over a month ago, and haven't picked it up since (and I like the book). I started and stopped several other books this year.

Hopefully, 2023 is better. The group and buddy reads may give me the motivation I need.

Ben's breakouts:

Fiction vs non-fiction: 19/1
Male vs female: 7/13
Contemporary vs non-contemporary: 18/2
Nationalities of author breakdown: 6 British, 7 American, 2 Irish, 1 French, 1 Korean, 1 Japanese, 1 Israeli, 1 Zimbabwean
English v translated: 17/3

Ben wrote: "Don't we normally do a statistical review as well? Fiction/non-fiction, male/female, contemporary/non-contemporary, U.K., Non-U.K. English, Translated etc.?"

I think it's something R. C. started and last year joined in, so have kept a list this time round! Although also have to add a 'non-binary' category as have read a few books by non-binary authors this year.

Yes indeed. Add any categorisations you feel you need if you want to go down the analysis route, in addition to highlighting books and writers that you've enjoyed in 2022

I think it came quite spontaneously out of us chatting about gender splits in our reading so yes, use it, ignore it, whatever works for you!

Some quick counting from me to date:

Female vs. male authors: 111 - 39

Fiction vs. non-fiction: 129 - 21

English vs. translated: 112 - 38

The gender split doesn't surprise me - not trying to be controversial here but I'm increasingly shying away from male views of the world (honourable exceptions like Mick Herron excepted, of course)

I actually thought I'd read/listened to more non-fiction than this - must try better next year.

The most surprising statistic for me is English language vs. translated (or read in the original) - only 38 non-English books! Maybe I thought this would be higher as I've been buying Latin American women writers but clearly haven't got around to reading them yet.

I'll leave best and worst books till December as well as 2023 reading - but next year, as I mentioned on another thread, I'm going to have a reading plan for the first time in my life.

I've recently reached the 80 books mark, so thought I'd tally my categories too.

Female vs male - 31/49
Fiction vs non fiction - 65/15
English vs translated - 73/7

I spent a number of years when first on Goodreads making an effort to read mostly female authors, but in the last few years find myself sliding back to something more even. I tend to read a lot of classics, and this year there were lots of male classic authors.

I'd like to read more translated fiction next year, more non-fiction, more contemporary fiction ... the list goes on. I'm still gathering ideas about what to focus on and how to make the most of my reading. I'll probably be back with thoughts on that and some of my 2022 highlights, when I'm better accepting of the fact that the year is almost over!

123 books so far, of which the male/female authors ratio is 73/50. I've read 8 non-fiction and a dozen translations. Much of it has been fairly light reading, which reflects the need to escape from the rather heavy year I've had.

Among the best so far have been a number of old favourites (Chandler, C.S. Forester, Arnold Bennett, Rumpole etc) plus
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
All four wonderfully enjoyable books by Sarah Caudwell
The Feast by Margaret Kennedy
and
Treacle Walker by Alan Garner

The worst include:
Charlie M by Brian Freemantle
The Cliff House by Chris Brookmyre
The Pat Hobby Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Nightshade by Annalena McAfee
and
Dead Man’s Grave by Neil Lancaster
(These are not exclusive lists!)

Sarah Caudwell has been a joy this year, I agree, Sid. Read over on our linked (by Judy and myself) Detectives group. We are currently considering buddy reading the Shardlake books, which I've been encouraging Nigeyb to read forever!

I've had 56 books so far.
Male writers 30, female 26
Fiction 36, non-fiction 20.
British writers 22, other English language 25, translated 9

I'm happy with the balance generally, although I'd like to read more translated fiction. And I'm still learning about my adopted country!

I'll add the non-statistical summary in a subsequent post.

Haven't really looked at this closely yet, but I can see I have read more male than female authors and not nearly enough non-fiction. I always have at least one on the go, but so many of my book club reads are fiction, so I think they get over-shadowed. I love non-fiction, so need to read more next year, but I am pleased I have read more of my personal books this year. I am especially pleased I have started some crime series I have long wanted to try.

Susan wrote:


"We are currently considering buddy reading the Shardlake books, which I've been encouraging Nigeyb to read forever

One day Susan, one day...

I know I'll love them which is part of the reason I'm holding off (for now)

Ben wrote: "British writers 22, other English language 25, translated 9"

I like that differential you have there, Ben, as I was conscious of lumping a lot of books into my 'English' category even if they were written by American, Caribbean, Indian etc. etc. writers and set in non-English environments.

Susan wrote: "... and not nearly enough non-fiction"

Let's make an effort to get more non-fiction in our buddy reads next year.

Some of my most memorable reads in the last few years have been NF with this group: I'm thinking of Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty and Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar especially.

I've changed my commute route to the Elizabeth Line which means audiobooks to/from work now and I love listening to NF.

Roman Clodia wrote: "Ben wrote: "British writers 22, other English language 25, translated 9"

I like that differential you have there, Ben, as I was conscious of lumping a lot of books into my 'English' category even ..."

But you then get into the question of who to define 'British' writers.

Rosina wrote: "But you then get into the question of who to define 'British' writers."

Well, yes - but we're doing this for fun and for our own reviews so we can individually make our own calls here. I just like the way Ben has differentiated between books written in English by British authors and about Britain, and people from different cultures writing about them in the English language.

Maybe I'm a month early in doing my Best of 2022 but I don't expect this to change from my December reading.

I'll update my statistics however after December.

What was the best book you read in 2022?

The undoubted peak of my reading in 2022 was Ulysses. Its absolute mastery of language, the innovative form, the variety of experience and the sense of place are unmatched by anything else I've read. And it was great to read it with others from this group.

Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse was second place. It would have been first in just about any other year.

Clearly I have a bias toward "classics"

The other book worth mentioning was David Graeber's The Dawn of Everything, which taught me much about American Indian and other "non-western" cultures, articulated a view that I find very sensible that the most civilised societies are often not those that build great monuments (whether physical or otherwise) but that rather provide good environments for the broad majority of its members, and gave me ammunition against the Yuval Harari view of history and humanity, which I so dislike.

What was the worst book you read in 2022?

I didn't finish any books this year that I disliked. This is in some ways a success, in that I stopped reading books that weren't working for me, including Treacle Walker, After Sappho, Elif Bautman's The Idiot (not Dostoevsky's, which I have yet to read), No One is Talking About This, and Empire of Pain. The lowest-rated book I finished was They Shoot Horses Don't They, which I gave just two stars because the pulp-fiction style just didn't work for me.

Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2022?

James Joyce.

What are your reading plans for 2023?

I'm looking forward to rereading Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Kevin Birmingham's book about the publication of Ulysses, The Most Dangerous Book.

I also want to give a second try to Shirley Hazzard's The Transit of Venus, which didn't work for me the first time I tried it, but has received so much praise that I have to try again. Buddy read anyone?

What else do you want to say about what you read in 2022?

Due to better health, fewer pandemic restrictions, the effect of reading Ulysses and more travel I've read fewer books than 2021 but I have no regrets. I've enjoyed much of what I've read and the absolute numbers mean nothing to me! Most of all I've enjoyed reading along with this group and I look forward to reading with you in 2023.

Thanks Ben - very interesting

Ben - I am interested in doing a Buddy read of The Transit of Venus. I started it this year but didn’t get very far due to other distractions!

I saw this thread and put together my stats while on a road trip yesterday. But, I’m going to finish a few more books before posting it. I might find a new favorite! One surprise is that I’ve read as many classics this year as contemporary books, which is a first! I haven’t been participating this year in this group but I do follow the discussions. Next year I plan to catch up on my 20th century reads, including numerous Latin American authors!

That's great, Pam. I'll put a request in the Buddy Reads folder.

My reads of 2022 in no particular order:

Top 10 Fiction:
The Feast: Margaret Kennedy
The Order of the Day: Eric Vuillard
The Great Mistake: Jonathan Lee
The Companion: Lesley Thomson
The Twist of a Knife: Anthony Horowitz
WAKE: Shelley Burr
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels – Janice Hallett
Every Dead Thing – John Connolly
White Riot – Joe Thomas
Mrs Mohr Goes Missing – Maryla Szymiczkowa


Top 10 Non-Fiction:
Let’s Do It: Bob Stanley
Dinner With Joseph Johnson: Daisy Hay
On the Cusp – Days of 62: David Kynaston
No One Round Here Reads Tolstoy – Mark Hodkinson
The Ticket Collector from Belarus: Mike Anderson
The Haunting of Borley Rectory – Sean O’Connor
The Radio Front: The BBC and the Propaganda War 1939-45
– Ron Bateman
Nazi Billionaires – David De Jong
Henry ‘Chips’ Channon: The Diaries Vol. 2 1938-43
Colditz – Ben Macintyre

Authors I have discovered this year – John Connolly
Authors I have enjoyed continuing to read and rediscover – Sarah Caudwell, Robert Galbraith, Craig Robertson and Jane Haddam

What was the best book you read in 2022?
Too Much of Life: Complete Chronicles which I'm still reading.
In fiction: To the Lighthouse, Chinatown and Corregidora.

What was the worst book you read in 2022?
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies, Small Things Like These - both from the Booker: loathed them!

Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2022?
Virginia Woolf, Natalia Ginzburg

What are your reading plans for 2023?
2023 will be my Year of Reading Women focusing on reading those favourite authors who somehow always get pushed to the bottom of the pile: Woolf and Ginzburg, Plath, Toni Morrison, Clarice Lispector, Elizabeth Bowen, more Elizabeth Taylor and Patricia Highsmith, Jean Rhys, Shirley Jackson, Annie Ernaux, Han Suyin...

Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2023?
New Daughters of Africa - Margaret Busby's second anthology from African and African diaspora women. It's around 1000 pages so will likely take the year :))

What else do you want to say about what you read in 2022?
I was much more disciplined about taking ARCs though don't want to cut them out completely as I read some fantastic new books especially from Latin American women. And, as Ben mentioned, our long buddy read of Ulysses was a highlight so thanks to everyone who joined.

Statistics:

Fiction vs. Non-fiction: 144/24

Female vs. male authors (haven't counted non-binary - my error): 120/49

Contemporary vs. non-contemporary: 130/38

English vs. translated (or read in the original): 140/29 - this is shocking!

British vs. other writing in English: 54/64

And Shirley Hazzard?

What was the best book you read in 2022?

I read so many great books in 2022!
My favorite: The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara

What was the worst book you read in 2022?
My least favorite (by far) was:
The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis
I am mystified as to how this tale of older people drinking and sleeping around ever beat out The Handmaid's Tale or An Artist of the Floating World to win the Booker prize.

Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2022?
Katie Kitamura
Lydia Millet
Louisa Hall
Daniel Mason

What are your reading plans for 2023?
Each year, I make a list of 16 books to commit to reading. Of these, two are semi-related: The Magic Mountain and The Magician

This will change by year-end, but so far my stats are:

Fiction vs non-fiction? 275/100

Male v female v non-binary? 184/189/2

Contemporary v non-contemporary? not sure what counts as "contemporary" but...
21st century: 262
20th century & prior: 113

English v translated? 344/31 (this may be off, as in I probably read more translated lit, but I don't track it diligently)

This was not a great reading year for me. I read a little over half as many as last year and the books I read were okay, but I wasn’t reading books I wanted to read, I was reading for prizes, which I vowed last year not to do again. I did stop counting books, that was a positive, on my Instagram acct, where I track the books I read, I just put month/year and ⭐️ rating with a very brief description and why I liked it. Not counting eliminated the pressure to choose a smaller novel for the last few days of a month.
I discovered this year that I can listen to and enjoy audio books!

My personal Best Book of the Year was Call Me Cassandra.

The rest of the best books for me in no order:
Somebody Loves You
The English Understand Wool
Seven Steeples
O Caledonia
The Annotated Lolita
Elena Knows
The Odyssey
My Heart Hemmed In
Imaan
Strega
Nightcrawling

Worst Book
I don’t finish books I’m not enjoying and I don’t criticize a book I didn’t finish.

Reading Plans 2023
Stick to last year’s vow to follow my heart and not follow prizes. I’m ending this year with the JCB shortlist and realizing that India is exploring thorny issues such as poverty, the caste system, patriarchy v feminism, religious violence. I’ll be reading more from India, a country I was fascinated with years ago, catching up on indie press subscriptions, and reading more classics from the 20th century and earlier, and more László Krasznahorkai.

New or Rediscovered Author this year
Vladimir Nabokov
Helen DeWitt
Elizabeth Strout
Claire Keegan (not because of Small Things Like These, but because of her spare, intelligent style in both the aforementioned and Foster)

Statistics

Read 62 books, 4 of which were audio:
38 female authors
24 male authors
15 in translation
9 classics, including nyrb editions or reissued “classics” and more if we consider Celia Fremlin a classic.
1 nonfiction (it would be less embarrassing to not mention the one nonfiction!)

I’m most looking forward to

Rereading The Iliad
Reading and comparing translations of War and Peace, War and Peace (with group led by @footnotes.and.tangents)
Catching up on British women authors-Penelope Fitzgerald, Barbara Pym, Elizabeth Taylor, Sylvia Townsend Warner.

Here’s my answers…



What was the best book you read in 2022?

Love and Let Die by John Higgs


What was the worst book you read in 2022?

The Cliff House by Chris Brookmyre


Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2022?

Kate Atkinson - I’m addicted


What are your reading plans for 2023?

Make a dent in my massive pile of unread books


Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2023?

New Mick Herron book, of course


What else do you want to say about what you read in 2022?

Love this group and all the insightful and supportive discussions we have had

I think it's late enough--I'll add my answers too.

What was the best book you read in 2022?
Overall, probably The Razor's Edge. I love W. Somerset Maugham, and I love a good story packed with lots of philosophical tangents, set in interesting locations.

What was the worst book you read in 2022?
I did not like The Kreutzer Sonata and Pond was not for me.

Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2022?
Fell in love with: Ken Kesey, Elizabeth Taylor and Langston Hughes.
Rediscovered a bunch, but I want to call out Kate Chopin and Joan Didion, both turning into favorites.


What are your reading plans for 2023?
My biggest wish is that I can fit in more impulse reads. I love Goodreads, but every time I see someone reading something good, I think, "I want to read that too!" It’s wonderful, but I want to follow my own discoveries a little more.

Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2023?
I’m really looking forward to the Quartet in Autumn group read in January, and more Pym and Elizabeth Taylor next year. But what I’m MOST excited about, to be honest, is my plan to finally read The Mirror & the Light. I’m practically drooling for that one.

What else do you want to say about what you read in 2022?
An embarrassment of riches, when I look back on it! I appreciate how welcoming this group has been. I’ve learned a lot and read some great books, thanks to you. :-)

I second your desire to follow your own whims next year, Kathleen.

I read the Wolf Hall trilogy in March of 2020, one right after the other and it was one of the best reading experiences of my reading life. How long ago did you read the first two in the trilogy?

WndyJW wrote: "I second your desire to follow your own whims next year, Kathleen.

I read the Wolf Hall trilogy in March of 2020, one right after the other and it was one of the best reading experiences of my re..."

I read the first one around the same time you did, right at the beginning of the pandemic. It was perfect--completely held my attention when nothing else did. The second I read in Fall of last year. So I'm on something like an every year and a half schedule, I guess. Can't imagine how I've shown this restraint. :-)

Good luck with following your whims too next year, Wndy!

It took me about half of Wolf Hall to become familiar with the cast of characters, I don’t know if I would have remembered who was who to whom after a year and a half. They are outstanding books and it’s making me sad to think about what we all lost with the loss of Hilary Mantel.

Thank you! Hopefully following my whims means I read books I already own and cut back on book purchases!

Me too, Kathleen and Wendy, on following my own whims next year.

We should definitely do another Elizabeth Taylor buddy at some point as so many of us are fans here.

I've just done my 2022 review with 2023 reading plans if anyone is interested: www.goodreads.com/review/show/5170187499 - it's such a good way to reflect on the past year and plan for the new, and keep it all filed tidily here.

Great review, RC. I think a lot of us want to read more personal reads. I moved away from book awards a long time ago. I want to read what I enjoy and not have an opinion on worthy books - who cares what my opinion on something is anyway and why waste even a week of the time I have left reading something I do not really want to pick up?

I enjoyed your review RC. I’ve heard from other GR friends that they read more books than ever this year, but that there many that didn’t work for them. It seems the theme developing for 2023 is Read What You Want!

The trouble is the groups keep picking books I do want to read!

My problem wasn’t group picks, it was my other group’s focus on prize lists. We read what we wanted and in what order, but I was limited by reading for prizes instead of books that were calling to me. It’s fun to read and discuss books together, but not at the expense of one’s personal enjoyment.

I imagine that could be tedious. Hopefully 2023 will be enjoyable for you.

Yes. Sounds v restrictive, but then I’m not that attracted to prize lists. I prefer to leave it a few years and see what endures.

I like the prize lists for picking out new fiction I might not otherwise have heard of, and some of my favourite new books come from the lists. But I'm not a completist. I rarely read more than half of the books listed. I do appreciate the reviews by the people I've come to know here and in "the other group" for helping me decide.

I guess it's all about finding the right balance for each of us individually between new and buzzy books, and established genres, themes and authors that we know we love.

I do like to have an opinion on those big books that are being discussed in the broadsheets and on here - but I agree that I don't want to be restricted to them and, as usual, will have my own opinion unswayed by hype.

Anyway, the lovely thing about this group is the way it is open to all kinds of books with the same enthusiasm and isn't at all judgy or snobby - so hurrah for us! :)))

I did enjoy reading the longlists and debating which should make the shortlist and guessing which would make the cut, but I got caught up in too many prizes at the expense of older, proven books. As RC rightly stated, with most things in life moderation and balance are the key.

Yes, to everything said above! And to RC's review! Some of the best books I've read in recent years have been from prize lists (e.g. Milkman, The Man Who Saw Everything, Murmur), but I have also "pushed" myself to read many others that I honestly didn't enjoy--just because they were on a prize list.

I think Nigeyb has the right idea: "I prefer to leave it a few years and see what endures"

Right! let the people who enjoy reading new books do their thing and we can benefit from the reviews a few years on.

Debra, I loved Milkman


You have now inspired me to investigate...

Murmur by Will Eaves

and

The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy

I'm enjoying hugely reading all your best books and plans for the New Year.

Deborah Levy is one of my favourites too, and The Man Who Saw Everything is great - you just need to pay attention to everything so it's not really a casual read.

I especially love Levy's 'living autobiography' volumes and recently realised that I never read the first one, jumped straight in with the second so have that to look forward to over the holidays.

That's encouraging RC


The Levy sounds like a good choice for my real world Book Group

I'd earmarked My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley, but now I'm sorely tempted by The Man Who Saw Everything too. Tricky, tricky...

The cover art for The Man Who Saw Everything is superb

Ah, but then My Phantoms was one of my top 5-star books of last year... decisions, decisions...

We theme our book group reads and include a film and some music


I'd concluded that My Phantoms would work well as part of a "Families" theme

I finished two books this week after a long drought, so I'm finally feeling optimistic about 2023. I already described my reading plans above, but I would also like to read another book by Deborah Levy. As much as I liked The Man Who Saw Everything, it's the only book I've read by her.

I would also like to read Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. I haven't read anything by her.