What I Read in 2020…
Do you keep a list of the books you’ve read each year? I started recording my thoughts on my annual reads some years ago, and at the start of every January I give a wrap of books I read in the previous year. Some years the list is extensive; other years embarrassingly short.
2020’s reading list of twenty-two books falls way short of what I would have liked to have read, especially as I spent so many months in Stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne. You’d think that would give me all the time in the world to kick back with unlimited books, but it simply wasn’t the case for this iso-bookworm. My reading mojo actually abandoned me for a while (I know, right?!), and I frequently found myself reading a page or two, then simply staring off into space, before re-reading the same page again.
Coronavirus aside, I still managed to do some kick ass reading. Earlier in the year I served on the judging panel for the Rocky Wood Award for Non Fiction and Criticism for the Australian Shadows Awards, and was privileged to read many outstanding essays, articles, and creative non-fiction showcasing horror and dark fiction from the finest writers in the Antipodes. You can view the results of the 2019 Shadows Awards here.
2020’s fiction list is made up of 73% female writers / 27% male (in the case of anthologies I have used the editor/s), with fourteen of the twenty-six penned by Australian authors.
Naturally, some titles gripped me more than others. My standout reads for the year were: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, and The Little Wave by Pip Harry. I don’t call myself a reviewer, as I can’t bring myself to say something negative about another’s work in a public domain, whether it is deserved critique or not. Besides, there are plenty more qualified than me to offer balanced reviews, so the following thoughts are merely my indulgent observations.
The Institute by Stephen King
I adore Stephen King. I’ve adored him since my early teens, when I first picked up a copy of Graveyard Shift. Since then I’ve read pretty much everything he’s written. When you spend so long as King’s ‘constant reader’, you get to know his style intimately. I have to say, The Institute felt like a bit of a lazy offering. The layered shades of ‘vintage King’ characterisation were lacking, and we’re asked to cheer and fear for a bunch of kids who…well…just don’t act like kids! That (and plot holes galore) aside, it was still a page turner with an interesting setup, and I’m glad The Institute was the book to kickstart my 2020. (You will never hear me speak ill of The King!)
George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl
My son has severe dyslexia. For him, reading and comprehension of what he’s read is a real chore, so we do it together. Our ‘go to’ guy is Roald Dahl. We laugh at the silly characters, and outlandish plots, and particularly enjoy Quentin Blake’s illustrations. In George’s Marvelous Medicinewe both loved the hilarious Grandma – she is one fabulously nasty pastie!
Evil Eye by Joyce Carol Oates
Four novellas depicting love gone wrong. Each story presents deeply flawed characters navigating deeply flawed relationships…mostly culminating in terrible consequences. JCO really is masterful when it comes to nailing the ills of contemporary society. These stories reflect her diversity of style, and ability to say so much in so few words. Some carry more of a punch than others, as is the case with collections.
Begin. End. Begin – A #LoveOzYA Anthology
Edited by Danielle Binks, this is a great collection of stories showcasing some of the ‘names’ of contemporary Australian young adult fiction. I was pleasantly surprised the bulk of stories fell under the mantle of speculative fiction—just another reason to love YA, it cheerfully plays well across genre. Some terrific examples of strong voices to be found in Begin. End. Begin. I particularly enjoyed Alice Pung’s In a Heartbeat, and Danielle Binks’ own offering Last Night at the Mount Solemn Observatory had me smiling with the inclusion of the Tree of Life sculpture, a well-known landmark to anyone who travels the Peninsula Link regularly.
Theodora’s Gift by Ursula Dubosarsky
I love Ursula Dubosarsky’s beautiful prose and storytelling. If you’re a writer of literature for children, put her on your list. Her elegant prose, imagery, and symbolism is a welcome change of pace for kids seeking thoughtful stories underpinned by complex and diverse characters. Theodora’s Gift is a pretty weird offering though, and I was left a little confused as to what happened and why. It’s a sequel to The First Book of Samuel, which I haven’t read, so perhaps that’s what’s lacking for me contextually. Even so, a quick read, worth picking up for Dubosarsky’s beautiful way with words.
Burning Love and Bleeding Hearts – Anthology (Things in the Well Publications, Edited by Louise Zedda-Sampson and Chris Mason)
This robust collection of sixty ‘dark and dangerous tales’ ranges from hard hitting works of flash fiction, through to well-crafted story length works, complemented by a smattering of poetry. With a lineup of authors as diverse as the contents, you’ll find genre heavyweights mixing it up with new and emerging authors, resulting in a pleasing mix of diversity, style, and interpretation of the theme. Editors, Louise Zedda-Sampson and Chris Mason, demonstrate their agility and proficiency in Burning Love and Bleeding Hearts – the anthology was produced as a fundraiser for victims of Australia’s bushfire crisis, and with a tight production schedule, they’ve managed to produce a quality antho that’s raised over $2,000 and counting. (Disclaimer: I have a story Hermit 2.0 included in this anthology).
Drive, She Said by Tracie McBride(IFWG Publishing Australia)
Tracie is one heck of a polished writer, and Drive, She Said showcases her ability to direct that into dark fiction that explores the human condition admirably. This collection of eighteen short stories feature females as protagonists, in every shape and form, and every shade of grey. Among other strengths, what I liked most about this collection is Tracie’s fearless approach to writing about sex and sexuality—how it can weaken or empower—and the impact of desire upon character motivations. Favourites for me were ‘The Changing Tree’ and ‘Father Figure’.
One of Us is lying by Karen McManus(Delacorte Press)
What fun this turned out to be in the middle of coronavirus. I totally binge-read this book! Described as The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, I was expecting to be underwhelmed – not because of the description, just, well, there’s many ways it could go wrong. McManus takes the reader on a high school thriller, murder mystery, high drama, high stakes romp. The suspects being four high school kids (you know these kids. You’ve got your princess, nerd, junior crim, jock, and misfit), the setting, a detention room (right?), the victim, an unlikeable fellow student. Look, it’s tropey as all get out, I picked two of the plot twists earlier than I would have liked, and a little cutesy-cheesy in the romance stakes, but it’s good contemporary fun with well-rounded character arcs, and a teenage dirtbag or two on top. 
