My Top Books of 2020
I had a deep love of reading instilled in me from a very young age. Like many children, my parents read to me regularly and took my sister and me to storytime at the library basically every week. Once I learned to read, my dad, who is also a big reader, encouraged that activity regularly, buying me plenty of books to read and probably unintentionally getting me obsessed with Dracula through the Great Illustrated Classics books (I now have at least 3 copies of Dracula, one of which is annotated).
I lost some of my zeal for reading during college and graduate school since I was a history and art history major and both of those required large amounts of assigned reading so I almost completely abandoned reading for enjoyment. I hate to say it, but having so much historical reading was a bit overwhelming at times (especially accompanied by language classes), so I only read assigned books and articles for a while.
After completing grad school, I returned to one of my favorite hobbies and have set myself a reading goal in my Goodreads account since 2015, growing my goal over the years. My goal for 2020 was to read 20 books. Due to COVID, I busted through that goal fairly quickly, coming up with a grand total of 50 books read in 2020. I have to say that I am not one of those readers who insists that you have to buy all of your books and only read physical books to be a real reader. I love reading physical books, audiobooks, and digital books (although digital is my least favorite method). I listen to quite a few audiobooks, checking them out of the library digitally through my absolute favorite app, Libby. (I cannot recommend Libby enough, you really should try it out!)
Since I plowed through so many books this year of a variety of genres, I thought it might be fun to rank my top 10 reads of the year. I will number them, but know that the ranking changes regularly and some are basically tied so don't put too much weight into the numbers they're given!
Additionally, I will put a link to each book online so that you can get anything easily. I'm going to try to link to a smaller bookstore in Bentonville when possible.
1. Educated by Tara Westover
Educated was an incredible book. It is a memoir written by Tara Westover, who was born on a mountain in Idaho to Mormon survivalist parents who eschewed technology and society to the point where her birthdate can only really be narrowed down to September 1986. She is one of seven children, four of whom have no birth certificates, were educated at home, and had never seen a doctor or nurse. Westover challenged her parents' strict rules and their survivalist teachings to educate herself, eventually going to college and graduate school, eventually completing her Ph.D. at Cambridge. There were many times that I had to remind myself that this was a memoir as it was as gripping as many novels I've read. I highly recommend everyone reading this book as it is incredibly eye-opening and fascinating.
2. Circe by Madeline Miller
Circe is a retelling of the story of the daughter of Helios and a nymph, who is most known for her role in The Odyssey. It begins with Circe's childhood in the house of Helios through her banishment to a deserted island. There, she strengthens the powers which caused her banishment as well as her skills with potions and herbs, building up to the visit by Odysseus and his men as well as the results of her encounter with these men. I bought this in audiobook form from a recommendation in my favorite podcast, Literary Disco, and have to recommend the audiobook for your experience with Circe. The story itself is fantastic, with excellent character development, suspense, and detail, but the best part is the narrator of the audiobook. The narrator elevates the story even further to the point where I had trouble hitting pause.
https://twofriendsbooks.indielite.org/book/9780316556323
3. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
This book won multiple awards shortly after its release for nonfiction. It outlines the murders of multiple members of the Osage Nation in the 1920s as well as the role these murders played in the creation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was an incredibly detailed read, providing a great deal of information and insight into the murders, the investigations, and the results of the investigation. This was an event that I had heard of previously but did not know enough about. I was amazed at all that happened and the struggles that the Osage went through on a regular basis while being some of the richest people in the world in the 1920s.
https://twofriendsbooks.indielite.org/book/9780307742483
4. The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking
I absolutely adored this book. I checked this one out of the library and it is high on my list to buy a copy of my own. Although the word itself is hard to translate, Hygge is the Danish concept of happiness and comfort. The author is the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Denmark, which has been rated among the happiest nations in the world. Throughout the book, Hiking outlines the Danish ways of life. While reading this, I realized that my goals in life align quite well with Denmark's. Very little is more Hygge than comfy blankets, lots of candles, a good book, hearty stews, and lots of chocolate and sweets. Who doesn't want those things in life? I loved every minute of this book!
https://twofriendsbooks.indielite.org/book/9780062658807
5. Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic is an incredibly gripping horror story set in the Mexican countryside in the 1950s. The main character, Noemi, receives a frantic letter from her cousin, prompting her to travel to the cousin's new home to investigate. Her cousin's family is mysterious and odd, as is the grand old house in which they live. It is an excellent haunted house/psychological thriller tale with incredible character development and some very good plot twists. I listened to the audiobook of this as well, and it was very enjoyable. The audiobook is 11 hours long (301 pages) and I finished it in 5 days because I couldn't stop listening.
https://twofriendsbooks.indielite.org/book/9780525620785
6. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
This novel had just about everything I could ask for to draw me in. Set in the 1900s in a mansion filled with peculiar treasures and historic artifacts, a young girl finds a mysterious book. The book carries her to other worlds, telling the story of secret doors that transport you to adventure and love. There's fantasy, mystery, unique artifacts, and travel. I hate to admit it, but I was also very drawn in by the gorgeous cover. This was a fun escape read with some excellent storytelling and description.
https://twofriendsbooks.indielite.org/book/9780316421973
7. I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
I made it a goal this year to read more nonfiction this year, as well as more books by authors of color, and this was a very good way to learn more about the experiences of Black women from a Christian perspective. Channing Brown writes of her experiences and challenges growing up and working in majority-white schools and areas and her challenges feeling her own self-worth through challenges she experiences on a daily basis. This book challenged me to think about the ways I have reacted to situations and ways that I can do better to actually value diversity and equity.
https://twofriendsbooks.indielite.org/book/9781524760854
8. Spilled Milk by K.L. Randis
The story is the real value in this book. I actually discovered this one through TikTok, which seems like a very 2020 thing to do. This self published book is based heavily on the real experiences of the author, who grew up in an abusive household, enduring physical, mental, and sexual abuse along with her siblings. After a simple experience at dinner with a friend, she fully realizes the difficulties of her situation and speaks out against her father's abuse. Experiences like hers as much more common than we will likely ever know, and it was sobering to learn of the difficulties that many others have experienced throughout their lives.
9. The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
This book utilizes the characters of Winnie the Pooh and the stories within to explain the values of Taoism. Sometimes other philosophical concepts are difficult to understand and this makes it much more accessible and quite enjoyable. I enjoyed learning about other philosophical beliefs for life, which have some good value in my own life, alongside a favorite childhood character.
10. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
As this is a very popular novel, I don't really have to explain the plot of this novel to anyone. You can't beat a good detective story and this is definitely a top story. I am sad that I hadn't read this before now, but I'm glad I finally have. This was another book that I listened to, as the audiobook was narrated by Dan Stevens, who has an excellent voice on his own but does a good job distinguishing characters. I had the bonus of comparing the novel to the movie, which I absolutely loved and can still greatly appreciate.
https://twofriendsbooks.indielite.org/book/9780062073495
11. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Another that has been on my list for some time and one that I've started a couple of times and hadn't completed previously. I love C.S. Lewis and this was definitely enlightening. Like many of C.S. Lewis' writings, it made me think deeply about what he said through the characters about life, faith, and the ways that we can stumble as Christians.
https://twofriendsbooks.indielite.org/book/9780060652937
12. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
This book was incredibly enjoyable. As I said earlier, I am a big fan of vampire stories and this did not disappoint. It follows a book club in Charleston in the 90s that reads exclusively true crime and suspenseful novels who get involved with a mysterious man who moves into their neighborhood. The synopsis described the book as "Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula," and I can't think of a better description or one that made me want to read the book more. It was so entertaining and I finished this audiobook in a week.
https://twofriendsbooks.indielite.org/book/9781683692515
I started out planning to list my top 10 and then I couldn't narrow it to my top 10 so I added in two more! I hope you enjoyed my list and that a few of these might appeal to you as well! For 2021, I have increased my reading goal to 30 books and I want to continue to increase my list of nonfiction and books by people of color throughout the year. What were your favorite books from 2020 and what's on your list to read for this year? I'd love to know what you enjoyed!
I liked the Vintage National Parks books (3) by Karen Barnett and the Printed Letter Bookshop.
ReplyDeleteNot specifically books I read in 2020, but I really liked Better by Atul Gawande and anything by Richard Preston. Also, since you read Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce is one of my favorite books ever.
I'll have to look those up! The Great Divorce has been on my list for a little while, so I might make it an early 2021 selection.
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