AMKent books

The Plague By Albert Camus: I read this book just before the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns hit, and remember feeling an unease as situations in reality mirrored the literature. Out of the several books by Camus I have read, this one I hold most highly as his masterpiece, a book that centres around a plague that hits a small French town, the story has exceptional prose, poignant scenes, Camus’ philosophy baked in and a truly haunting ending. This book should almost be required reading for any fiction lover, it truly is exceptional and without spoiling it, reflective now more than ever. The book is also fairly short, at around 200ish pages, so not a laborious read.

On The Beach By Nevil Shute: This book is undeniably outdated, and also inaccurate to how a nuclear radiation fallout would actually effect mankind. However, if you can get over these two points, the book is something very special. The story follows a group of survivors awaiting the inevitable death from nuclear dust. The characters are well written, the story has moments of beauty and despair, the ending is also beautifully executed. Whilst I have my criticisms of this book (which may be another blog post of its own), the fact that it has made me think so deeply about it is a testament in itself.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra By Friedrich Nietzsche: Be warned, this book is one hell of a story to process, and will require some serious googling post reading. Like Camus, of all the Nietzsche works I have read (which is most of them), this is in my mind his magnus opus. The story is played out somewhat like a fever dream, and deeply metaphorical, as it revolves around a hermit who has come down from his mountain to announce the death of God, and his successor, the Uber-mensch (or superman). Nietzsche does not have an easily accessible writing style, and some of his works grounded outside of fiction can be hard to adjust to (for me anyway). However, Thus Spoke Zarathustra is definitely worth a read, as it tackles nihilism, religion, the evolution of humanity, and it also has some pretty neat songs packed in also.

The Trial and Death of Socrates By Plato: If ancient Greek thought interests you, I cannot recommend this enough. the book goes through Socrates’ trial and his arguments against it until he was given the choice of death or exile. Recounted by Plato, and easy to follow, this book gives an amazing insight into Socratic and Platonic philosophy. Whilst its debatable if Socrates even existed, or if he was some kind of alter-ego by Plato himself (dammit Socrates why did you refuse to write things down). This is a great insight into a potentially pivotal part of the history of knowledge, that stands up in many aspects even today.

The Distance of the Moon By Italo Calvino: It is hard to discuss this book without spoiling anything, as it is extremely short and can be read in a single day. However, Italo Calvino has written some truly exceptional short stories around the moon, including one where someone uses a ladder to reach it, and another where there is no colour. If these vague descriptions inspire you to check it out, I would highly recommend it, it is very cheap and super short, so there is nothing to lose. Also, if you finish this book and have an insatiable appetite for more fictions around the moon, check out my book ‘The Glass Moon By A.M Kent’ (shameless plug).

If you liked these recommendations or have read any of the books mentioned feel free to like and comment, or even message me as my social medias are on my website page along with amazon links to my works. Many thanks and have a wonderful 2023 !