You'd think I'd have found time enough at last to read so many books throughout 2020, especially in the months spent in lockdown. I set a goal on Goodreads for 50 books in a year. It proved a little too ambitious for me, although I think it would have been do-able if I had made a stronger effort to read something every day. I wound up reading a total of 27 books last year--it's a little more than usual, but I still think I could have done better.
Of these, at least half of them are graphic novels and mangas. At their best, I find them rather easy to read in a short time. It feels a little bit like cheating since the words are sparser than an actual novel or non-fiction book. I do admire the artwork and detail in many of these books though, and they often times have the stories I admire the most.
Did make time for a few novels, including a couple that are highly-rated and outside my comfort zone. I also made time for a couple of non-fiction books and art books. There are still a few books I've started but never finished--these weren't counted in my final stats (could have made 30 easily if I did). In 2021, I plan on finishing those first before moving onto others.
Here are the highlights I had with my reading in 2020.
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Alita: Battle Angel manga series, volumes 1 - 3, by Yukito Kishiro. I had purchased the deluxe box set for this as a Birthday present to myself, and it's every bit as awesome as I expected it to be. Having seen the film and anime before, I knew much of the story going in. I'm still enamored by the Alita character, many of the side characters, and the distinctive worldbuilding. I found volume 1 the most captivating, likely because of how it introduces the characters and the world, but the twists and turns of the following volumes didn't quite deliver what I expected out of the story. I appreciate the turbulence of the character's journey and how unpredictable it is, but it also means that some subplots and side characters come off as unfocused or fleeting. All that being said, I still have a few more volumes left in the box to read, and I'm curious to see where it's all going.
The Dead Zone by Stephen King. Had seen the movie before. Even then, I didn't expect what the book delivered--there is a fair amount of emotional oomph to this. Can't say I loved it though--the first half of the book is an absolute slog in my opinion. I appreciate parts of the story and its prose, can't say I enjoyed the whole thing though.
Giger, from Taschen. A book that showcases some of HR Giger's artwork, with some scattered anecdotes on the guy's bizarre life. Regardless of some of his less tasteful work, I do admire his art and it is genuinely creepy and provocative. Not sure if I'm brave enough to tackle the upcoming video game based on his style, but I will flip through this book on occasion for inspirational nightmare fuel.
How To Write Action/Adventure Novels by Michael Newton. This is a how-to book I found at the library. Many tips in this are the same as I've seen/read elsewhere (you know, write what you know, show don't tell, don't be boring, etc). It's probably most valuable for exploring the history of the genre and focusing on the practical aspects of making sellable books. It's modestly valuable, but these days you can get a good feeling on how to write most things from the Internet just as easily.
The Invisible Man by HG Wells. Pretty sure I dipped into this after seeing some of the old Universal movies, and I was quite surprised to find that the book is very similar to the first movie from 1933 (maybe a little less goofy though). The prose is a little old-fashioned (understandably), but the main character is quite the dastardly villain. As the forward pointed out, the Invisible Man type stories remain interesting because of the uncanny image Wells painted in this book (of a man unwrapping himself, of food being seen through his gut, and so on). It's a spectacle I always enjoyed in movies, but it's pretty neat to read where it all came from originally.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles volume 1, by Kevin Eastman. This was a library copy, in the one instance I was able to visit a library. I'm quite impressed by the hardcover volume and how it collects the original comics together with artwork and some background write-ups. The artwork is spectacular despite its clunky, cartoony appearance--it's strikingly similar to something like Tank Girl. I was surprised by how straight-faced these comics are, especially when compared to the cartoons I grew up with and the various movies made since. It seems like the story whips through its outlandish story arcs pretty fast (I mean, look at what happens to Shredder, holy crap). Even when toned down a notch, the turtle characters remain an endearing family of heroes worth rooting for--the personalities we see in other media are still there subtly. Not sure this is a comic series I'd keep reading, but I appreciate the chance to see where this property originally came from.
Time's Eye by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. Book one of the Time Odyssey (as opposed to the Space Odyssey--how did I not even know this was a thing?). Maybe not the best prose or story ever written, but hot dang, I found it exciting and interesting. I loved the premise and the way it mashes up modern and historic armies in a big slug-fest on an altered Earth--I thought this whole thing was way cool. I especially appreciate how creditable the historic characters, places, cultures were presented. Character development is not a highlight, unfortunately, but I enjoyed the heck out of this book.
Vox by Christina Dalcher. I checked this one out of the library based on its fame and good reviews. Given that it's a piece of dystipian sci-fi, I expected this to be right up my alley. Alas, despite my admiration of the character voice and premise, I found it unpalatable as it went on. The character straddled the like of likability quite a bit. Worst of all though, I found the plot and sequence of events highly implausible, and I couldn't suspend disbelief long enough to take this book seriously. I couldn't really connect with this book in the end despite the nobility of its message--in fact, the political grandstanding really dragged the experience down for me. This is probably the biggest disappointment for me this year.
War of the Worlds by HG Wells. I was familiar with this story before (but I can't remember if I actually read it before). It's a bit of a dry read, but there's no denying the sheer imagination involved with the alien menace Wells created and the sobering destruction they bring. It's quite a bleak story that captures the hopelessness of humanity's chances in an alien invasion. Can't say I found it wholly engaging all the time, but it's a classic worth reading.
What the #@&% Is That?: The Saga Anthology of the Monstrous and the Macabre, by various authors. Having dabbled into the realms of cosmic horror recently, this book gave me a healthy dose of inspirations and insights from many talented writers. I found many of these stories fascinating and uncanny.Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Once again, I picked this up based on its notoriety. I found much to admire in this book, between its character development, themes, descriptions, and the gritty nature of the story. I can see how someone would hate this on the grounds of its plausibility or story direction, but I appreciated the journey it took me on and I wound up caring for the character a great deal by its end.
