2021 Books in Review - Part 1

 

2021 Books in Review – These are the books I read in 2021. This is the first in a five-part series.

I’m not going to provide reviews for the books, as I don’t think reviewing is something that I do particularly well, or that I am equipped with the knowledge to do so. I am going to provide a brief synopsis, and then provide things I think about as a writer when I am reading.

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Synopsis: This is an analysis of William Dodd’s time as America’s ambassador to Germany during Hitler’s rise in the 1930s. Dodd, an academic, sought an ambassadorship with the hopes it would allow him time to work on a book. Instead, he was a witness to the rise of Hitler’s power. His daughter, Martha, has relationships with Nazis and a Russian spy.

My thoughts: Larson writes historical non-fiction and does so in a way that he pieces together various streams of data into a narrative. Having worked in media, I know how hard it can be to organize information and translate it into a coherent narrative.

I’ve also read by Erik Larson: The Devil in the White City – this entangles the story of the World’s Fair in Chicago with the life of serial killer H.H. Holmes.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Synopsis: Billy Pilgrim is unstuck in time. A survivor of the firebombing of Dresden, Pilgrim believes that he travels through time, has been abducted by aliens, and I am sure a dozen other things that I am forgetting.

My thoughts: When I read Vonnegut, I feel like he just pulls words and ideas and characters from a hat and then puts them in order. Yet, he does it brilliantly with both poignancy and humor. I feel like I could have written with similar wit when I was younger, but I would never have been able to make it as meaningful.

I’ve also read by Kurt Vonnegut: Breakfast of Champions

The Best American Shorts Stories (2002)

Synopsis: Really, no point for a synopsis. It’s a collection of short stories with a wide range of topics and ideas.

My thoughts:  If you want to write, I recommend reading short story collections because it’s a great way to learn the variety of ways that fiction can be approached.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

Synopsis: Astrid is a teenager being shuffled through the Los Angeles foster care system after her mother is imprisoned for the murder of a former boyfriend. The root of Astrid’s problems come from being raised by narcissistic mother and without a father. She lacks a foundation to develop and careens from one bad relationship and situation to another.

My thoughts: A year before this one, I read “The Goldfinch” with the similar theme of the abandoned child trying to survive in tough environments. The Goldfinch is told from a male perspective, so it was interesting reading the approach for this one through the eyes of a female.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Synopsis: All that Ove wants to do is die, but he keeps getting entangled in the lives of his new neighbors and bothered by a stray cat.

My thoughts: Backman is Scandinavian and so translations always are interesting from a reading and writing point of view. There are customs and mores than are slightly different than ours. Expressions sometimes come off wonky. Even so, Backman’s voice rings true and sincere. His stories are always about ordinary people answering the bell when extraordinary events occur, and he illuminates the bonds that tie all of us together.

I’ve also read by Fredrik Backman: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie was Here.