The Books of 2020

As usual, in the end of the year I provide here a brief account of my readings. 2020 was complicated, to say the least, with both loss and gain, and among the positives I must count the time and incentive to read more. I've managed to catch up with some titles, experimented with others, and even got time to indulge in the usual literature of consumption, to ease the pressure on the brain.

Unlike previous years, I've decided to group the books on categories: fiction, crime, non-fiction, history, and the highlights.

I. Fiction:

1) A. Camus - Ciuma (The Plague) (re-read)

It seemed like a perfect fit, back in March when the lockdown started and Covid was not the joke everyone made of before. It's a book about the absurdity of human life when confronted with the reality of death. A book about the sense of duty, courage and cowardice, as each of us reacts differently to the approaching death sentence that was passed on all of us since birth.

2) George Orwell - Ferma animalelor (Animal Farm) (re-read)

It has been a while since I decided to revisit Animal Farm, its a subtle and painful portrayal of the illusions of politics. Sure, the book was meant to expose the perversion of the communist ideals by the Soviets, nevertheless, the book remains relevant today.

3) Jose Saramago - Pluta de piatra (The Stone Raft) (re-read)

Saramago is a master-writer and Stone Raft is among the best. As usual, Saramago disturbs the status quo by imagining the unimaginable: the Iberian Peninsula breaks away from Europe (and Gibraltar) and starts heading towards Latin America, fixing itself between the two continents. It's a very subtle metaphor for the identity, role and future of the Iberians, at a time when Spain and Portugal went through some soul-searching. It's also interesting to read how the small group of people that are gathered by the extraordinary events copes with change, love, loss and starting over, as each is an archetype in which the readers can find themselves. That helps with the readers' own soul searching.

4) John Williams - Stoner

The book follows the life of an academic. There's nothing extraordinary in it: the usual passion and driving force of any book worm, the petty quarrels and enmities that one can find in any university, a failed relationship and the inability to connect with his own child, despite his deep love for her. My guess is that the banality of it all is what makes it so relatable. A must for any academic and anyone interested in a good read.

5) Orhan Pamuk - Zapada (Snow)

The novel follows the life of an immigrant poet who ends up in the midst of a massacre in a border village of Turkey, where the secular state and the religious population are in conflict. Triggered by the events, the poet writes his masterpieces and even finds love, a love that will not come to fruition. It's a book filled with tragedy and the inherent conflict in the background might explain some of the events in Turkey today. Ataturk's reforms seem to have created a schizophrenic society.

6) Chuck Palahniuk - Ziua ajustarii (Adjustment Day)

This man's imagination knows no limits, and America does not cease to provide him with inspiration. This time, the two groups - the progressive and the conservative - go into open conflict, triggered by a manifest. Everything goes downhill from there and the whole thing seems to have been a gross misunderstanding, a prank that got out of hand. Or maybe not. A perfect read for those into conspiracy theories.

7) Pascal Quignard - Umbre ratacitoare (Wandering Shadows) (re-read)

The book lies at the border of fiction. It contains a series of short stories, thoughts and images, based on Roman and French/Frankish historical figures, events and changes brought by modernity. It's a weird and mesmerizing book that I like to return to. I think this was my fourth time.

8) Stephen King - The Outsider

I got to read this book because I enjoyed the TVshow and did not have patience to wait several weeks to see how it ends. I found the premise to be good and the ending to be anti-climatic. Sadly, the TVshow failed as well, despite the adaption. Forgettable.

II. Crime:

I confess and should be clear by now that I became a big consumer of crime novels, specially when I need to rest my brain from heavy reading or when I'm on vacation. And I enjoy a good mystery once in a while. This year was no exception.

9) Alex Michaelidis - The Silent Patient

Must be one of the worst books I've ever read. Predictable and clichéd. Poorly written. Avoid.

10) William Boyle - The Lonely Witness

Predictable. Another one to be avoided.

11)-23) Michael Connelly - Bosch Series (first 12 novels)

If you like crime shows, then Bosch is a must. This summer I was left wanting more, so in less than 2 months I've devoured 12 novels from the Bosch series. Competently written (although after a while you kinda figure out Connelly's recipe) the novels don't disappoint and their connection to the show (or vice versa) is pretty loose.

24) Anthony Horowitz - The Sentence is Death

Turned out this was a sequel and part of a trilogy. The first novel was spoiled during this one, so no reason to go back and read it. The third ... is saved for later. It's an old type of mystery novel, in the style of Sherlock Holmes (for which Horowitz also wrote sequels) and Poirot. Horowitz is both a narrator and a character in the book. Captivating read.

III. Non-Fiction

25) Michael Hudson - Killing the Host

The book explains how the financial system is ruining the economy and the lives of people. The comparison is simple enough to grasp: big finance is a parasite killing its host.

26) Robert Green - 33 Strategies of War

This was a fantastic read, even on a beach, far, far away. Each strategy is thoroughly explained and exemplified with memorable anecdotes. One can learn a lot from this! Totally recommended.

PS: There is also an abridged version in case you are in a hurry, but I would definitely suggest reading the full one.

27) Radu Paraschivescu - Romania in 7 gesturi (Romania in 7 gestures)

The book is well written and the 'gestures' are well chosen. The author paints a portrait of Romania. It is not the portrait, but one portrait. Certain characters (the authors of the gestures) gained more contour in my mind, although the author is not objective in his choice or treatment. I got the book for free, from Humanitas's website. I enjoyed the book but I wouldn't have bought it.

28) Joe Deville - Lived Economies of Default

This socio-legal study dedicated to the debt-collection industry in the UK and how it captures debtor's affect was published the same year with my own comparative analysis of debt-collection regimes in four EU countries (including the UK). It contains interesting and relevant sociological analyses into the field of debt-collection tactics - such as the use of psychological and behavioral studies or that of automatization - in determining debtors to pay. Another important contribution is the chapter developing the history and evolution of the industry in US and UK.

29) Roger Fisher - Getting to Yes

A basic text on negotiation. It was not my first, so I found nothing impressive or worth remembering. In fact, after 11 months, all I have in my notes regarding the book is the author and the title.

30) Katarina Pistor - Code of Capital

A much praised book on the idea that law is nothing but the codification of rules meant to aid capital holders to preserve and expand their capital to the detriment of others. While the ideas are valid, I did not find all the examples chosen to be equally convincing. But that's just me. The book became a phenomenon and I suggest you read it and decide for yourselves.

31. Francis Fukuyama - Identity

Given the madness surrounding identity politics, the book of Fukuyama looked like a proper source and a timely read. The historic part was ok, the analysis, failed to provide an objective analysis and went towards a manifesto for the very subject the book claimed to address. The master itself failed to convince me with arguments of any soundness surrounding the inherent contradictions. For instance, if a group starts expressing and manifesting their identity values, it is ok and legitimate, if white Christians do it, it is fascism... Unlike previous titles from the same author, this one was an utter disappointment.

IV. History

There are two subcategories here: Roman history (where I include classic Latin&Greek texts) and others. The 'other's' focus this year has been ... the crusades and the military orders.

a) Roman History and Classical Latin or Greek texts

32) Philip Matyszac - The Enemies of Rome

Basically, it is a collection of biographies of the most noteworthy opponents faced by the Romans. One will find here famous names such as Hannibal, Mithridates or Attila, but also less mainstream ones, such as Boudicca, Zenobia and even our Decebal. Very good if you're looking for an introduction.

33) Julius Caesar - The Civil Wars (re-read)

The writings on the Civil Wars are apocryphal, yet they contain important information concerning Caesar's views/position vis-a-vis the civil wars. It was also a good introduction for the following text.

34) Appian - The Civil Wars

Appian covers several civil wars, cause the Romans proved to be quite good at them, just like at everything else. His position is highly critical, and the book is packed with details. Nevertheless, I did not like the writing style and I struggled through it. Coming to Caesar's civil war, it is a good source to counterbalance the great man's own account.

35) Marcus Aurelius - Meditatii (To Himself) (re-read)

I've read this before, but in a questionable translation and without a bibliographical apparatus. This time, I had access to a newer and improved translation, with proper footnotes. The book is interesting for several reasons. It is a philosophical diary written for himself by a Roman Emperor. It provides a glimpse into the emperor's struggle between his duty and philosophy, as well as into the Stoic philosophy. It contains sufficient advise to aid anyone with their own struggles. The fact that is still relevant is an indication not only of the importance of the questions raised, but also of the emperor's humanity.

36) Epictet - Manualul (The Manual)

A very brief book, containing some of the most relevant life-advice one could ever get. And the core of Stoicism as we know it.

b) Others

37) Lucian Boia - Intrebari fara raspuns (Questions Without Answers)

In a patented style, the old master treats us with a short book where a number of questions (of both national and supra-national importance) are being raised, briefly addressed and left...for us to think about.

38) Roger Crowley - Constantinople. The Last Great Siege:1453

A vivid and painful account of the last siege and the fall of Constantinople to the Turks. A must read.

39) Dan Jones - The Templars

A history of the Knights Templar, stripped of all fantasies and conspiracy theories, with the good, the bad and the ugly. Even seen with the critical eye of the historian uninterested in tabloid-type of legends, the Knights Templar remain a fascinating topic.

40) Ernle Bradford - The Shield and the Sword. A History of the Knights of Malta.

Well, I was looking for a history of the Knights Hospitaller. Who became Knights of Rhodes after the fall of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem. Who became Knights of Malta after the conquest of Rhodes by the Ottomans. This book is pretty basic, but knowing little about them, I got all the information I needed. And just as the Templars, the Hospitallers are fascinating.

41) Eric Vuillard - The Order of the Day

This short book is a combination of history and essay. It's a brief account of the Anschluss, the occupation of Austria by the Nazis. Vuillard makes the point that all those involved were to blame: victims, oppressors and spectators. The invasion is stripped of the myths constructed by propaganda, revealing not a perfectly oiled German machine, not an invincible army or a competent Fuhrer. The bits and pieces gathered here construct the point that Hitler and his war could have been stopped if someone would have just done something: if Austria would have resisted, if the European countries would have taken attitude. Cowardice and passivity in the case of Austria, led to the partition of Czechoslovakia, the invasion of Poland, the mutilation of Romania and ultimately to the Second World War. The style is fantastic, for which the book received the Goncourt prize.

V. Highlights

42) Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Un veac de singuratate (A Hundred Years of Solitude) (re-read) - fiction

I've read this when I was 20. Meaning 20 years ago. And after reading it, I could not read anything else for months. The writing was perfect. The story was haunting. The characters were mesmerizing. For a while I thought it would not make sense to read another book, cause none would equal it. In short, it became my number 1 book. I had planned many times to re-read it, but I was afraid that maybe I will not like it so much and I did not want to break the spell of the first contact with it. However, this year I've decided to give it another go and it did not disappoint. It's still perfect. A book one should definitely read at least once in their life time.

43) Thomas Piketty - Capital in the 21st Century - non-fiction

It was about time for Piketty, having gotten the book back in 2015. Everything is colossal about this book. The sheer size of the project and of the data gathered and analyzed. The empirically proven thesis that the rich get richer and the poor stay poor or get poorer. And of the bold (and impossible) solution it offers: a global tax on wealth. For anyone with an interest to understand the origin and the functioning of finance and capital in this century, Piketty should be the top of the list.

44)-46) Steven Runciman - A History of the Crusades (3 volumes) - history, others

This is THE absolute history of the crusades. It's well researched, informative, detailed, yet admirably and vividly written. All characters and events are alive. You're a witness, not a reader. And the overall impression is that...all could have been different, but for human stupidity, greed or laziness. The history of the crusades and the Christian kingdoms in the Holy Land beat any fantasy novel or action flick. It was a birthday treat, and one of the best kind.

47) Ernle Bradford - The Great Betrayal: Constantinople 1204 - history, other

If one reads about the Crusades, one comes across the infamous 4th Crusade, the one that turned against Christians and caused the sack and the (real) fall of Constantinople. When the Ottomans captured the city in 1453, Constantinople was a mere shadow of the million people megalopolis that used to be, being inhabited by a mere 50.000 and largely in ruins. The real fall was in 1204 when the Venetians instrumented the capture and the loot of Constantinople. The sack of 1204 led not just to the destruction of a good part of the city, the massacre and migration of a large part of its population, but also to the disappearance and appropriation of art and religious treasures that will never be recovered. It also caused the partition and the ultimate demise of the Byzantine Empire, which was never able to recover. In the long run, Europe itself was left undefended against the Muslim invasion and soon after, the Turks settled and occupied the Balkans. Worst of all, the great betrayal among Christians led to a complete rupture between East and West, a lack of trust and enmity between Catholics and Orthodox, with consequences that Europe has experienced for 800 years and continues to do so even today. If one wants to understand what the main origin of the European divide is, this is the book to read.

48) Seneca - Scrisori catre Luciliu (Moral Letters)

Together with Epictet's or Marcus Aurelius's writings, these letters are a fountain of Stoic wisdom, one which I wish I could have found earlier. It would be hard to describe. It's a book you have to read and read and read.

PS: There are also books I've started and did not yet finish: Piketty's Capital and Ideology, the Biography of Prince Eugene of Savoy, the History of the Teutonic Knights, Peterson's 12 Rules for Life, etc. These will be on next year's list, if God wants it.

I've also read a great deal of comics. Keeping up with Batman (Rebirth series but also some classic titles), the new Watchmen release: Doomsday Clock, but also with the Punisher series, which I found very entertaining and well written (I don't say that often about Marvel merchandise).