My 2020 reading list

As 2021 dawns, I continue the tradition (third year now) of sharing the books I read (or listened to) over the past year. I did not read as many books as the year before, probably because I seemed to be a lot busier this year but also because a lot of my reading focused on articles on COVID-19.

1. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami ????????. Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer and I read this book first 11 years ago when I ran my first half marathon. I downloaded the audio version to listen to when I started to train for my second half marathon, this year. I found his experiences of training and running various races both motivating and interesting. Since then I have read some of his short stories. 
2. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read - Philippa Perry ???? The part of the book I found useful (and will try implement more) is to consider kid’s feelings, look at it from the kid’s perspective. A reminder of the importance of empathy (not just when dealing with kids). 
3. Digital Minimalism - Cal Newport????. I read this book in February but I may need to read it again for the digital detox program after ten months of working from home and seemingly being never more than an eye blink from a digital screen. The book refers to our phones as "slot machines" as the app developers use the same addictive tricks as employed in slot machines and the tycoons of social media as being "tobacco farmers in t-shirts".
4. Hitler - Ian Kershaw?? A long read (apparently this was the reduced version) which was too academic and went into too much detail for it to be really enjoyable for me.
5. The Habsburgs -Martyn Rady ???? An interesting look back at the centuries during which the Habsburgs played a key role in the history of Europe (and other parts of the world).
6. Age of Iron - JM Coetzee ???????? Having read Disgraced by JM Coetzee (South African Nobel Prize winning author) the previous year I picked up this book. It is set in South Africa and tells the story of a white lady who meets and develops a friendship of kinds with a coloured homeless man just as she has learnt that she has terminal cancer. It is set against the social and political tragedy unfolding in the country ravaged by racism and violence.
7. Youth - JM Coetzee ?????? About a university student in 1950s South Africa and explores his struggles to find his way.  The student is set on leaving SA for a better life but after arriving in London he is continuously disappointed in realizing his dreams. The grass is not greener on the other side.
8. The Beekeeper of Aleppo - Christy Lefteri ?????????? A heart wrenching story of a Syrian refugee’s struggles after his life is shattered by war and the loss of his son as he and his wife journey via Istanbul, the Greek isles and Athens to reunite with his cousin in England to fulfil their dream of continuing their beekeeping there. The bees are a symbol of the fragility of life but also that of hope, new beginnings and renewal. Highly recommended, for the bees and the human drama. My favourite fiction book this year.
9. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams?????? I thought I had read this before but on reading it now I realised that I had not. Some enjoyable escapism, with a clever storyline. 
10. Greenlights - Matthew McConaughey.???? I am not usually drawn to books by/about media personalities/stars but I bought the audio book after I heard him on the Tim Ferris podcast. He is a great storyteller. I enjoyed the chapter of his culture shock of a year spent as an exchange student in Australia. 
11. A Promised Land - Barack Obama ?????????? I read this as it was published, in the two weeks after the US elections, which made the contrast between Obama and Trump even starker. Obama is a great story teller and I enjoyed the recap of recent history seen through his thoughts and eyes. From the 2008 financial crisis, the Arab Spring, US healthcare, war in the middle east and climate change. In particularly I enjoyed his recounting of the Copenhagen climate talks in 2009 where, after days of talks it looked like the deal would not be signed, and Air Force One had a hard scheduled departure (to avoid bad weather), Obama burst into a room where the Chinese, Brazilian, Indian and South African delegations were in a meeting and his last ditch plea turned things around allowing for a meaningful agreement to be signed.  This is the best non fiction book I read in 2020.

The next three books I read at the end of the year based on a FT review of the three books. All three books consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future, but do so from slightly different perspectives.

1. Ten Lessons for a Post Pandemic World - Fareed Zakaria. ??????. The longest of the three books is by Fareed Zakaria, who's political commentary on CNN I had watched from time to time. He uses the pandemic as a historical inflection point and looks at ten global trends but takes a wider view of the future than just the current pandemic. He considers globalization, the role of governments and science, digital life and inequality in the world. He foresees the need for a new social contract where governments will need to take on a more active role in the economy.
2. Is It Tomorrow Yet? - Ivan Krastev?????? I am sure many can relate to the title when thinking about the past year. This is a short read and is built around seven paradoxes, such as the pandemic bringing both a focus on science and a rise in conspiracy theories. He calls the pandemic a grey swan - something predictable yet unthinkable.
3. Let Us Dream. A path to a better future. - Pope Francis. ?????? Aside from the references to the bible, this could be from a secular writer. He says that we cannot return to the political and economic systems pre-pandemic, that we need economies that will give to all access to the basic needs of life (land, lodging and labour), and politics that can integrate and dialogue with the poor, excluded and vulnerable. He states: "We need to slow down, take stock and design better ways of living together on this earth."
4. Délután Apámal - Nagy Gerzson. ?????? This is a novel written by a friend and gives a glimpse of life in Hungary, at around the time the Berlin Wall came down, through the experiences of a boy at boarding schooling.