Books read in 2020
2020 was a quite a happening year. This was the year the corona virus happened. And I was able to discover and read some interesting books. To discuss some numbers I read around 8 books and 8 books are unread. All the unread finish in 2021. I have listed the books under 2 headings. One in English and one in Bengali.
Bengali Books
1. Putulnacher Itikotha
Putul Nacher Itikatha is one of the outstanding works of Manik Bandopadhyay. In one of his letters, Manik wrote that this novel was a humble protest against those who tend to play with the lives of humans as if they were puppets. This is one of the classics of Bengali literature. It also captured the sense and sensibilities of Bengali village life and at the same time depicting challenges that are universal.
2. Pather Pachali
I had already watched the iconic movie by Satyajit Ray. But reading the book is a whole different experience. The story is similar but the imagery is quite vivid and more descriptive. Both the movie and the book complement each other. If you have read the book, watching the movie brings a whole new dimension to it and if you have watched the movie, then reading the book brings in a special richness to the story.
3. Sheyal Pandit O Aaro Golpo
Upendra Kishore Roychoudhary and his sons, Sukumar Ray and Satyajit Ray are somestalwarts of the few stallwarts of children’s literature in India. Sheyal pandit is a collection of short stories that are vivid, funny, clever and nuanced. Although they go along the Indian tradition of talking animals are stories feel very fun.
English Books
1. Annihilation
This is the first book of the Southern Reach series by Jeff VanderMeer. Its an interesting post-apocalyptic, nature type, adventure-based, sci-fi thriller. It’s also a movie that I have heard tanked, but don’t let that discourage you from reading the book.
2. Chosen Spirits
An interesting science fiction and fantasy book by Samit Basu. The premise is at the same time futuristic and grounded in modern-day India. I am not sure if I can say that I liked this book, but that is because there is a high chance things will turn out to be like as depicted in the book. Caste will never go away. Class-divide would increase. The older Indian ideals would dissolve with time with almost nothing left. If such a bleak future is palatable to you, go ahead and read it. It’s definitely different from the usual trope.
3. The Calcutta Chromosome
This is my favorite book of the year. Amitav Ghosh is a fantasy writer more than a science fiction writer and this book also has elements of both. What I love most about the book is the pacing of the book. It starts slow, but by the time you are done, you will feel like a whirlwind has gone by.
4. Domechild
A nice SIFI book by Shiv Ramdas. This book very much feels like a movie. I would say a relaxing read for a long weekend.
5. The Judas Cypher
This is a nice futuristic crime thriller and is quite action-packed. This book feels very pulp fiction, movie type. It has cipher hackers, synth prostitutes, and a pair of rival gang bosses. If you probe a little deeper you can see that it asks the question of what it means to be a human and what’s the difference between a human and a machine. But even without those philosophical questions, this is an interesting read. A highly recommended and enjoyable book.
6. Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. It introduced the character of Count Dracula and established many conventions of later vampire fantasies. I actually did not read this book but listened to the audiobook. I did not have many expectations from this as I felt since this is an old book, it would feel very dated. But this book felt like a modern book placed in the Victorian period. Also since Dracula and vampires have quite seeped into romance based popular culture with books such as Twilight and Vampire Diaries, it was nice to go to the source and feel the horror that Vampires actually meant. If you are tired of the present Vampire stories, then this is the book to go.
7. Zero to One.
Peter Thiel has become like one of the gods of the current entrepreneurial culture. He is one of the more controversial thinkers of the current era and there is probably some truth to his thoughts. In any case, no matter what your feelings are about him, I would say this book would enlighted you.
8. The Obstacle is the Way
Ryan Holiday is a famous self help author and his books mainly deal with stoicism. I would say this book is good for the hardcode stoic fans. Or this book can also be considered to be one of the gentle introductions to stoicism if you are interested in the philosophy and want to understand what it is.
9. The courage to be disliked
Currently, I am reading this book. The structure of this book is definitely different and is based on Plato’s dialogues. It deals with Alderian psychology and how we can apply it to real life. Adlerian psychology is a psychotherapy approach based upon the work of pioneer Alfred Adler. Adler is often considered one of the big three founders of psychotherapy alongside Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. For now this book has been interesting, and I have made a lot of notes.
This year I have gone through some interesting, informative and fun titles. I am hoping next year I would be able to read some more books.
