2021 Books Read
In December 2020, I posted a list of ten albums that I listened to over the course of the year. I wanted to post something similar for 2021. Each year, I keep a list of the books I've read and jot down some notes after I've finished. I try to get a sense of the writing style of the author, the storytelling, the plot, what the book made me think or feel, and which lines stuck with me.
As I reviewed this list, rereading my notes, I realized that I've learned a lot about reading and writing over the past year. Books enrich my life. When I get into a book, I really get into it, and if it's something I really like, I can become addicted. I love how a good book becomes a part of my life - when I can't put it down and I want to keep reading throughout the day. Sometimes, though, I'm not sure if I like a book until I've read about 100 pages. Also, I learn best from reading and even better from writing.
Here are five books I read last year (full list at the end) and some thoughts on each.
The Curse of Lono Hunter S. Thompson
Hiroshima John Hersey
Bird by Bird Anne Lamott
To Be Heard Roof Alexander
Rabbits Terry Miles
The Curse of Lono - Hunter S. Thompson (1983)
“Yesterday's weirdness is tomorrow's reason why.”
Gonzo-journalist and writer Hunter S. Thompson teams up with old friend and illustrator Ralph Steadman for a series of misadventures in Hawaii while on assignment covering a running marathon. The Curse of Lono is gonzo at its best - exciting, funny, maddening, and dangerous. The book is a thrilling adventure, the words flying off the page and simmering with politics, religion, culture, drugs and alcohol. Despite this, the book is not as well-known or popular as Thompson's other books including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Interwoven with text from historical accounts of Hawaii, The Curse of Lono takes us on a journey through Hawaii's past, present and future as only the inimitable Dr. Thompson can.
Hiroshima - John Hersey (1946)
“At exactly fifteen minutes past eight in the morning, on August 6, 1945, Japanese time . . . the moment when the atomic bomb flashed over Hiroshima . . . "
When the U.S. B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb used during war on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, 100,000 people died instantly. Hiroshima follows six people who survived. Originally written in 1946, Hersey added a post-script in 1985, detailing the past 40 years of the survivors' lives. Hersey shows us the horrific effects of the bomb on the city and its occupants. We are given a view into the lives of the survivors and how they dealt with the aftermath. Hersey travelled to Japan one year after the event to report the facts about the bomb which were unknown to the American and Japanese public. The U.S. government controlled the bomb site and information about the attack [more on this here]. Hiroshima is a stark reminder of the consequences of nuclear war.
Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott (1994)
"…we may notice amazing details during the course of a day but rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention. An author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift. "
Anne Lamott brings her experience as both a writer and teacher in Bird by Bird. She has no doubt seen many writers face the same obstacles and mistakes time and time again. Lamott offers quirky and humorous ramblings which encourage and enlighten aspiring writers every step of the way. Lamott tells us not to worry about "shitty first drafts" and just to take it "bird by bird" or, one short assignment at a time. Bird by Bird is an essential read for new writers or anyone looking to relax, to stop taking themselves so seriously and just write.
To Be Heard: A Story about Williamsburg Brooklyn - R. Alexander (2012)
"We all shared a feeling of hunger, empty bellies, bottomless appetites that when filled, kept us up at night. When we spoke we shouted, all our voices together, a chorus of pleas and protests, rooftop dreams, voices carrying from building to building, no sky scrapers to block them, we all shared a voice, devouring the ears that accepted it, that opened to us. We would be heard. We would dizzily take in those sunrise nights and talk about what it would be like to be heard."
The year was 2006, before everyone dressed like a 'hipster' and Williamsburg became a destination. To Be Heard is a fictional novel which follows four artists living in the Brooklyn neighborhood, struggling to find their voices. Alexander romanticizes this early era of Williamsburg, drawing comparisons to Paris in the 1920s. Williamsburg is the "holy ground", a place for seekers to leave behind their old lives, start anew and find themselves. Alexander explores the millennial 'hipster' subculture, as we follow the characters from one neighborhood haunt to the next. Four friends come together and support each other because they are outsiders, misfits who don’t belong anywhere else. To Be Heard explores themes of art, identity, subculture, and a longing to be heard.
Rabbits - Terry Miles (2021)
"Some true stories are easier to accept if you can convince yourself that at least part of them are fictional. This is one of those stories."
Terry Miles, founder of the Public Radio Alliance and mastermind actor/writer/producer behind podcasts Tanis, Rabbits, Fairie, and The Last Movie, has a new sci-fi mystery thriller out. Rabbits follows protagonist K and friends through the maze of a secret alternate reality game, uncovering weird coincidences and conspiracies along the way. Miles explores things like the Mandela Effect, QAnon, and the work of John C. Lilly, incorporating the same attention to detail and mystery that makes his podcasts so addictive. The hidden world behind the world, the last 'true' mystery; Rabbits brings us deeper down the rabbit hole with every page.
2021 Complete List of Books Read (19)
The Nick Adams Stories Ernest Hemingway
The Curse of Lono Hunter S. Thompson
Fight Club Chuck Palahniuk
The Martian Chronicles Ray Bradbury
In Cold Blood Truman Capote
Hiroshima John Hersey
The Lost Symbol Dan Brown
When No One is Watching Alyssa Cole
50 Great Short Stories various
Bird by Bird. Anne Lamott
The Muralist B.A. Shapiro
The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien
To Be Heard Roof Alexander
The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
Born to Run Christopher McDougall
Travels with Charley John Steinbeck
Pulphead John Jeremiah Sullivan
Rabbits Terry Miles
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald