Top ten reads of the year
Old Books by Dead Guys managed to post an even 100 book reviews in 2023. Compared to previous years of this blog, that’s not a very high number, but it was a good year for reading, and I took the time to enjoy some lengthy and time-consuming reads. Listed below are my ten favorite books read this year, arranged chronologically by date of publication. (None of them were actually published in 2023; this is Old Books by Dead Guys, after all.) I believe this is the first year when none of the ten favorite reads precedes the 20th century. Click on the titles below to read the full reviews.
A Russian revolutionary is invited to Mars, where he finds an ideal communist society in operation, the likes of which he and his Bolshevik comrades have envisioned in their dreams. This old-school work of utopian sci-fi reads as remarkably intelligent, eloquent, and relevant more than a century after it was written.
The Rise of David Levinsky by Abraham Cahan (1917)
This remarkable realist novel relates the struggles of a Russian-Jewish-American immigrant as he chases his fortune in the New York City garment industry. Abraham Cahan’s semi-autobiographical narrative is not only a pioneering work of Jewish-American literature but also a groundbreaking exemplar of American literary naturalism.
My Childhood by Toivo Pekkanen (1953)
In this partial autobiography, Finnish author Toivo Pekkanen vividly brings to life the time and place of his youth and tells the heartbreaking story of his family’s struggle for survival in the face of abject poverty. Pekkanen recounts a poignant coming-of-age story to which anyone can relate, but also gives the reader a revealing glimpse into Finnish life and history.
Maigret and the Headless Corpse by Georges Simenon (1955)
Maigret and the Bum by Georges Simenon (1963)
Maigret and the Loner by Georges Simenon (1971)
Inspector Jules Maigret, Superintendent of the Police Judíciaire in Paris, is the recurring detective in a series of 103 novels and short stories by Belgian-French author Georges Simenon. The Maigret novels are always brief, brisk, and intelligent. I happened upon a mother lode of inexpensive used Maigret paperbacks and read several of them this year. These three are among some of Maigret’s most intriguing and compelling cases.
Mexico (Ancient Peoples and Places series) by Michael D. Coe (1962)
Archaeology is one of my favorite topics in nonfiction reading, and I am particularly fascinated by pre-Colombian Mexico. This entry in the Ancient Peoples and Places series, a line of over 100 books published by Thames & Hudson, delivers a concise but very informative overview of Mexico’s ancient peoples from prehistoric times up to the Spanish conquest. The ancient history of Mexico, as in the Valley of Mexico, is distinct from that of the Yucatan and Mesoamerica, so this book covers the Aztecs but not the Mayans, who have their own volume in the series.
The Werewolf Principle by Clifford D. Simak (1967)
It’s no secret that Old Books by Dead Guys is a fan of Clifford D. Simak. I have almost finished reading his complete works. The Werewolf Principle is a fascinating sci-fi novel that has nothing whatsoever to do with werewolves. 500 years in the future, a lone John Doe is found drifting in space. He is obviously a space traveler from Earth’s past, but how far in the past? This surprising, entertaining, and thought-provoking sci-fi thriller is one of Simak’s best.
Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston Dorren (2014)
Gaston Dorren’s book Lingo was on my top ten list last year, and he’s back again this year with Babel. Dorren writes about languages—their histories, their structural oddities, and their political and cultural controversies. In Babel, he discusses the twenty most widely spoken languages in the world today. Dorren concisely explains the complex intricacies of language in entertaining and intelligent prose that’s accessible to general readers.
Gaston Dorren’s book Lingo was on my top ten list last year, and he’s back again this year with Babel. Dorren writes about languages—their histories, their structural oddities, and their political and cultural controversies. In Babel, he discusses the twenty most widely spoken languages in the world today. Dorren concisely explains the complex intricacies of language in entertaining and intelligent prose that’s accessible to general readers.
Stalin and the Scientists: A History of Triumph and Tragedy 1905–1953 by Simon Ings (2016)
This fascinating and eye-opening book provides a detailed history of the Soviet Union’s attitude and policies towards science, and how scientists and other academics were treated under the Soviet regime. Although so absurd at times it’s almost funny, it amounts to a horror story of what happens when an authoritarian government, led by a despotic dictator, deliberately denies scientific truth in order to further its political aims. Hmmm . . . Sound familiar, America?
This fascinating and eye-opening book provides a detailed history of the Soviet Union’s attitude and policies towards science, and how scientists and other academics were treated under the Soviet regime. Although so absurd at times it’s almost funny, it amounts to a horror story of what happens when an authoritarian government, led by a despotic dictator, deliberately denies scientific truth in order to further its political aims. Hmmm . . . Sound familiar, America?
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