Favorite Reads of 2020

Usually my favorite books are those that grab my heart and twist it in a good way that keeps me up after my bedtime. This year my favorite books are different. I didn’t have a lot of heart twisting feelings this year. The whole world is a heart twist, and if I stop too long to think about it my heart will be wrung dry. Heart twisting was not what I looked for in my books for most of 2020. Instead I looked for books that explained the world to me.

My favorite was Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. I’ve never read anything that made the Vietnam War feel so real. It wasn’t always a pleasant experience- I had to read it slowly from November 2019 to May 2020. I started it right around the same time I read The Great Alone, and I could see a straight line from the soldiers in Matterhorn to the troubled father in The Great Alone. As a child of the 80’s I felt like I better understood a lot of the men I knew growing up after reading this book.

When I read it in May I wrote:

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes - This novel about the Bravo Company, a unit of young Marines during the Vietnam War, is unforgettable. Karl Marlantes is a veteran himself, and the details he incorporated into this book were visceral and captivating.

Clever Books I’m Still Thinking About

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld - What if Hillary had never married Bill? This book got me through some dark days this summer.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - Two half sisters in Ghana separated by circumstances. Each chapter skips a generation until it all comes together spectacularly in the end.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid - The part that struck me the most was how everyone was talking, but no one accurately heard what the other person was trying to say.

Books That Made It Seem Like Maybe Everything Will Be Okay?

Devotions by Mary Oliver - I never thought I’d be a person who reads poetry, but in the last few years I’ve become one. Mary Oliver is my favorite.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker - There are some hard things in this book, but also beautiful things about found families and purple flowers.

All The Devils Are Here by Louise Penny - This was a really satisfying continuation of my favorite series.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward - Sad, dreamy, and magical. I’m so glad I finally got around to this one.

Even Better The Second (Or Third) Time

11/22/63 by Stephen King - If you think Stephen King is all about horror and killer clowns I invite you to read this book that shows the dangers of political extremism.

A Raisin In The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry - I’ve loved this play since my Mom brought me to see it in high school. Seeing it on stage again is one of my post Covid to dos. Until then I’m glad I got to read it again this summer.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding - This was a sacred text in my 20’s, and reading it again this year reminded me of how wonderful it is.

So, that’s 2020. I’m hoping for many things in 2021, one of which is that reading feels normal again.

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