"A Century of Reading" is a review of the outstanding books published over the last century and is a response to the renewed interest in reading occasioned by a global pandemic. Despite this upsurge in reading, we need to appreciate that books have never gone away. They have survived the introduction of film, television and the increasing availability and reach of the internet and online media.
What has never diminished is people's desire to be told a good story; so when we have time on our hands, what books should we read? The contents of "A Century of Reading" may seek to recognise the classics, highlight recurring themes and celebrate popular genres, but it also strives to include variety.
This book contains a wide variety of literature; some very familiar and some not so familiar. While we treat some of our favourite books and authors like old friends, we should also be open to experimentation. Authors and novels that are normally outside our regular reading habits need to be embraced. They are not strangers; they are just friends that we have not yet met!
With these sentiments in mind, no author appears more than once on the list. There is an entry for every year and each decade has a selected book designed to capture the spirit of that particular age. This is how we have arrived at "101 Years, 101 Authors - The Best 101 Books."
Influenced by the words of TS Eliot's "Four Quartets 1: Burnt Norton", we can see that our century of reading that began in the 1920s with a global pandemic, ends in the same way. Perhaps "Time past" and "time present" are uncannily similar. We look forward with optimism towards "time future", much as our ancestors in the 1920s did. The final novel on the list covers a conflict that seems to have always been with us. Will there ever be a workable solution, or is mankind destined to live in a world of division? Has our recent lockdown world given us the opportunity to think about creating a fairer world?
As we venture out, we must open "the door we never opened into the rose-garden" of a beautiful new world. The literary wisdom of Eliot, unparalleled since the time of Shakespeare, tells us that "All time is unredeemable." There is much to learn and much to read. What are we waiting for?
