As I did last year, here is a sort of a round up of all the books I’ve read in 2020. These are not all of them because I’m sure I have missed some, and I’m not sure if photo books and zines truly count. Here are some of them, helpfully sorted by genres.

Graphic Novels

The Best We Could Do - Thi Bui
This is a lovely memoir a’la Fun Home, of a normal family escaping the war in Vietnam. It is beautiful and educational, as the author carefully explains the historical circumstances of the war and what most families escaping Vietnam had to go through.

Putovanje Na Samotne Otoke - Emmanuel Lepage
My obsession with Manu Lepage continues, to the point where I wish I could actually meet him and would want to document his process on one of his journeys. At the moment, I’m trying to learn French, just so that I could translate La Lune est Blanche, which I impulse-bought on my trip to France.

Snow, Glass, Apples - Neil Gaiman and Collen Doran
An alternative take on the popular Grimm Brothers story, The Snow-white. It’s a story of a wise queen (witch) and an evil vampire-like daughter. It’s a short and beautifully illustrated read, which made me rethink a lot of the traditional stories that I’ve read as a kid (Severus Snape and an annoying brat, anyone?).

A Child’s Life - Phoebe Gloeckner
This is beautiful and sad and depressing. It is an amazing book, and I loved it for the sheer resilience of the author. These autobiographical comics reminded me how happy I am, despite all the hardships. Also it reminded me how weak I am as well - I don’t think I’d have gotten out of that. The second book is waiting for happier times.

Photo books

Service - Platon Antonieu
To me, Platon can be a bit hard-to-swallow as a character, but his photographs are simple and astonishing. What surprised me in particular about this book is the quality of the 35mm work. By now most people know that Platon can get an amazing 6x6 portrait, but the vignettes and contextual portraits he shoots are nothing short of spectacular. These images speak of an often unseen and overlooked stories of the US soldiers.

Sleepless in Soho - Joshua K Jackson
This is Josh’s first book, and in many way it is a poetry in motion. This is a different edit than I’ve expect, but flipping through it, I couldn’t help but play the tune of Einaudi’s Night alongside the book.

The Americans - Robert Frank
It feels great to go over Frank’s work every so often, to learn and re-learn how proper photojournalism was done in the 50s. A car, infinitely cheap petrol and plethora of film. I could use such simplicity these days.

At Work - Annie Lebovitz
Annie is a master - she is one of the most respected and sought-after portrait photographers of our time, and this book provides a bit of insights into how she works and what she believes a good photograph should look like (also why she thinks her best photographs are not on the cover). Some of the take-away lessons are: 1) always have and respect your camera, 2) know your subject and do your homework: have they ever been photographed? if so, do you know how? what do you want to do? 3) plan and let the subject surprise you, and finally 4) sometimes, just respond to what you see.

Non-fiction

Midlife Cyclist - Rachel Ann Cullen
There is not much to say about this book other than that it’s interesting and low-key inspiring. Fittingly, I have read it on the trainer in a form of audiobook.

Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker
I have many mixed feelings about this book. The message, I think, is solid; we should sleep more and sleep is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle. The book is peppered with inconsistencies, self-citing, misinterpreting of the data cited, and similar over-statements which make it hard to recommend whole-heartedly.

Fiction

Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles
This has probably been my favourite book that I’ve read this year. It’s a heart-warming story of other times in the Soviet Union. I loved it, and everyone that I know loved it too.

Killing Commendatore - Haruki Murakami
A new Murakami, again with a tragic character so cool I’d desperately want to bee like even though I don’t know why. If you like Murakami, well, you know you’ll like this one.

The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern
I LOVE Morgenstern’s worlds. Whilst the Night Circus keeps a special place in my heart, the Starless Sea is equally bizarre and wonderful. She is also a nerd and a gamer. For some reason, I’d like to meet and photograph her one day.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - John le Carre
Sadly, le Carre passed away this yer, but this book reminds us how good spy books should read like. He was a master of the genre, and Tinker Tailor is quite possibly the best spy-novel ever written.

Legacy of Spies - John le Carre
A newest (and the last) in the spy series from le Carre. I’ve read it in January and it made me want to revisit some of le Carre’s older work.

The Night Manager - John le Carre
If I’m not mistaken the first post cold-war-era novel from le Carre. It was adapted in an amazing TV show starring Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston. Very well worth a watch and a read.

The Secret Commonwealth (book of Dust, pt2) - Phillip Pullman
This one is hard; I love the story and I love the fact that there is a new Lyra-and-Pan book. I hate the fact that it seems like it’s been written because people wanted it written, not necessarily because it’s a finished, rounded work. It almost felt as if he wrote the story and chopped of this book at the end of an arbitrary sentence.

The Golden Fool Trilogy (3 books) - Robbin Hobb
Third-to-last trilogy reveals connections between the worlds Hobb creates. It’s simply great fiction.

The Rain Wild Chronicles (4 books) - Robin Hobb
At this point it’s a love-hate relationship with Hobb. I love her stories and her fiction, but there is SO MUCH to read.

Fitz and the Fool (2 books, one still pending) - Robin Hobb
Yeah, still not done with the Robin Hobb worlds, but getting there.