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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My 2017 Five Star Reads

I was looking at my 2017 reads, and it was really clear to me that I wasn't going to be able to pick a favorite. In truth, the books I ranked the highest in 2017 were mostly re-reads. I'm sure this is situational, and not a reflection of the books of 2017.

So, instead of a favorite I bring you all of my 5 star reads from 2017:

In Harm's Way and Apollo 8 were both non-fiction that read like the best on the edge of your seat fiction. A Piece of the World and How The Light Gets In both left me gutted, but in a good way. Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, and The Martian all hold truths universally acknowledged, and are worth reading every few years. The Hate U Give is billed as a Young Adult book, but should be required reading for everyone in the country. I loved reading Ramona The Pest out loud to my daughter; we laughed and laughed.

Here are some honorable mentions (4 1/2 star reads.)

And two books I'm reading right now that I love, but didn't finish in time to include on any 2017 lists.

Happy New Year!

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Quicklit December 2017

We moved our furniture to put our tree in a different spot, and I must say reading within view of it is rivaling back yard reading, and reading by the firepit as a new favorite place to park myself with a book. Cozy nights=Merry Christmas.

Here's what I've been reading lately:

The Purple Swamp Hen And Other Stories by Penelope Lively -- I'm not usually a short story person, but I think someone on The Readers podcast talks about her a lot, so when I saw this on the new releases shelf at the library I picked it up. These short stories were great- engaging and satisfying. They were like a mix of F. Scott Fitzgerald and O. Henry. I predict that several Penelope Lively books will appear on my TBR in 2018.

11/22/63 by Stephen King -- This was a re-read for me, brought on by the release of the Kennedy files in early November. I still love this book as much as I did originally, even if it is a gigantic doorstop that was hard to carry on the metro!

The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall -- It's not weird to relate to a polygamist man right? Because that was my reaction to this book. Oddly sympathetic.

It's been a few months since I've linked up with Quick Lit, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone else has been reading.

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