Readings of 2019

Given the 6 months of strife that I encountered at work, the reading list for 2019 looks rather poor compared to other years. Even so, some good books found their way to my list and to my shelves.

• Michael Houellebecq - Serotonin

One of the top 3 books of this year. Houellebecq has done it again, hitting hard with the final pages, just as he did in the Elementary Particles. The character, the usual middle aged misfit man, strives for human communication, friendship and love. The novel is a journey of failed attempts to connect. There are soliloquies, dialogues, battles lost and thought, retreat and finally hope. A must read.

• Roberto Bolano - 2666

I don't know where this book was hiding, but what an amazing read it was. Several novels bound together in an epic tome. This book is everything: love, sex, murder, search, obsession, struggle, survival. Absolutely gripping and catching, one of the best books I've ever read.

• Roberto Bolano - Detectivi salbatici (Savage Detectives)

After 2666 I had high expectations. It's very different, yet not less interesting. Poets, sex, becoming, it has it all.

• Mircea Cartarescu - Melancolia (Melancholy)

I bought this after reading a promising preview on the publisher's website. However, the book fell short. With no real substance, it seems more as a book written to perform a contract, than one that actually has anything to say.

• Iordannes - Getica

I read this with great curiosity. Especially due to the famous confusion between gets and goths, which appears also at Procopius. Unlike Procopius's history and secret history, I found Getica to be rather underwhelming.

• Adrian Goldsworthy - Why Rome Fell

A reread. A good account of the crisis faced by the Roman Empire during the the 3rd and 4th centuries. As everything written by Goldsworthy, it is very informative and pleasant book.

• Greg Cox - The Court of Owls (a Batman Novel)

Bought this because Batman, knowing the background stories from the comics of Scott Snyder. This 'crime' novel was an absolute miss.

• Adrian Horowitz - Magpie Murders

After Jo Nesbo I just had to find another crime novel author worth the time. Horowitz is pretty good. Magpie Murders is the last of a series and it was kinda weird: a crime novel inside a crime novel. The first part was absolutely fantastic (the novel inside the novel), while the second felt predictable and disappointing (the novel).

• Adrian Horowitz - The House of Silk

Seems Horowitz wrote 2 Sherlock Holmes novels. This is the first one and, despite the length, it felt completely genuine. The story was grim and catchy. Worth it.

• Jo Nesb? - Knife

I was looking forward to this one. A new Harry Hole novel. Yet, I think the story got so far and so many of the characters died, that it feels a bit forced. The start barely kicked off, and dragged on, although the second part had the usual flavor of the Norwegian crime master. I read it and forgot it the second day I was done.

• Gary Bishop - Unfuck Yourself

Common sense advice, that you know but need to hear from someone else. Did its trick for me when I needed it.

• Timothy Greogory - O Istorie a Bizantului (A History of Byzantium)

A short and necessary account of the 'other Rome'. I needed a short introduction to the topic and this served the purpose beautifully, although the Eastern Roman Empire requires more attention.

• Robert Galbraith - Lethal White

Looking for a good crime novel, I found the 4th book of JK Rowling from her crime series. It starts where the others (and the BBC tv show) left off and offered what one needed. A entertaining vacation read that was forgotten once back home. Which is nice, because it won't spoil the tv show.

• A. Goldsworthy - The Fall of Carthage

One of the best books on the Punic Wars.

• George RR Martin - Fire and Blood (vol 1)

While waiting for the 6th installment of the Song of Ice and Fire and before the drop of the disappointing 8th season of Game of Thrones, I read this amazing half history of the Targaryen family. It's written as a chronicle or history book and it is so vivid, that one may wonder if this isn't actually real.

• Haruki Murakami - Killing Commendatore

Murakami's book completes the top 3 of this year. It's about a painter who lives in a painter's house, during a family crisis and who befriends a millionaire, with his own family crisis. During that time, he discovers a forgotten painting of the original owner and starts talking to the characters in the painting, which reveal a drama of the past. It all settles, somehow, after a voyage to the underworld and the mixture of reality and fantasy, present in all Murkami's writings.

• Serhii Plokhy - The Gates of Europe (A History of Ukraine)

As usual, I am happy to read into the histories of nations, written by themselves to get an idea of their self-perception. This book provided just that, including the usual national exaggerations. Romanians and Hungarians will find in it some themes occurring in their national histories, probably due to the fact that they had common experiences as well.

• Robert Browning - Emperor Julian

An excellent and comprehensive biography of one of the most tragic characters in the history of Rome: Emperor Julian (the Apostate). It won't be the last I read on this topic.

• Julius Caesar - Razboiul Gallic, Razboiul Civil (The Gallic War. The Civil War)

The big plan is to read or re-read all titles in my ancient Greek and Roman history library. However, this year I've only managed Iordannes and Caesar. This book is studied in all military academies and it is considered one of the most important works of classical history. It's not sordid, but an account of Caesar's deeds in Gaul and during the civil war. A critical apparatus is needed, and luckily my edition has one. It's not a book you summarize or retell others, it's the account of a man who made and changed history. Read it with this fact in mind.

• Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow of the Wind

A fine crime/detective novel set somewhere during the Civil War in Spain. It starts with an interesting idea - a library of forgotten books. As details gather, one guesses the end. Not a waste, not a Nobel book, but an entertaining vacation read.

• Elizabeth Kostova - The Historian

I wanted a historical novel and i was recommended this one. It's about a multiple search of Dracula, the vampire, during which a variety of details regarding Vlad Tepes (the Impaler) are revealed. It made me realize how little I knew about this character. The historical journey was interesting, however, the ending of the book was ridiculous.

• Florescu - Dracula, a Prince of Many Faces

After the Historian, i decided to read a proper book about Vlad the Impaler. This is a comprehensive biography, touching upon a multitude of aspects of Vlad's life and reigns. Totally recommended.

• John. S.C. Abbott - History of the Habsburg Empire

Written in the 19th century (i suspect) and having a strong protestant stance, it gives a chronological account of the Habsburg monarchy, seen through the eyes of an American historian. It is well researched and contains many 'trivia' and anecdotes, which makes it a very pleasant and informative read.

• Lucian Boia - Intrebari fara raspuns (Questions without Answers)

The short essay book for the end of the year that the master has used us with. While not as powerful and lengthy as his earlier works, this book brings to the forefront some interesting topics. Enjoy them while we have him!

Unlike previous years, I will not list here all the books that I started, but did not finish.

How about you? What did you read this year that was good?