The last few years, I have been setting reading goals on Goodreads. My goal each year has been 30 books – a little more than two a month. But who saw a novel virus, quarantines and near elimination of social events coming? So I blew that 30 book goal out of the water: 49 books!
I read so many great books this year. My criteria for this list is simple: I enjoyed the story and the writing, and I would recommend the book to a friend. For non-fiction, I also want to learn something or have the book make an impact on my life.
Rather than provide a detailed description of each book, I am sharing WHY I like the book. Don’t worry. I’ll give you a link to a description or to my own review, so you can decide if you want add it to your reading list. The list below is in no particular order:
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Emira is a 25-year-old, African-American, part-time babysitter for 3-year-old Briar Chamberlin. Such A Fun Age explores Emira’s relationship with Mrs. Chamberlin (Alix), her relationship with a new (white) boyfriend, and her search for a more permanent job. Emira and Alix are both a little lost and searching for more purpose in their lives. There is a lot to discuss and explore in this book: race relations, finding purpose and independence, and assumptions that characters make about each others intentions and feelings. I wondered which character I identified with the most and it got me reflecting on my own bias and stereotypes. A lot to unpack; a great book club selection.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Siblings Danny and Maeve Conroy grown up in The Dutch House, a lavish estate their father (Cyril) bought as a gift to his wife and a symbol of his success. Rather than bringing joy, the gift leads to loss, misery and heartache. Danny and Maeve learn they can only rely on each other. As they try to make their own way in life, the legacy of growing up in the Dutch House is a shadow they cannot outrun.
Ann Patchett is an gifted writer and storyteller. Her characters are complex, human and flawed. I loved how each character has their own relationship with the Dutch House.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Station Eleven wins my favorite pandemic book of 2020 (although it was written in 2014). Twenty years after a lethal, extremely contagious flu wipes out most of the world’s population, a band of actors and musicians travels around Upper Michigan performing for new settlements. Through flashbacks, we learn about the character’s pre-pandemic life. I love a dystopian book that has a ring of reality and leaves the reader with hope for the future.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Wilkerson makes a convincing argument for looking at racial divisions through the lens of caste. Her analysis and explanation break open a discussion that Americans desperately need to have and hold ourselves accountable to our collective actions. Wilkerson weaves in personal anecdotes and stories from history to demonstrate her academic ideas. It is a surprisingly easy read, considering the topic. As an American – a white American – I believe Caste is the most important book I have read in a very long time.
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
Erik Larson’s most recent book is set during the London Blitz when Churchill and the British people endure 12 months of constant bombing by the Nazi Germany. Meticulously researched, Larson chooses to humanize this era through the experience of Churchill’s family – his wife, daughter and son – all living in London at the time. I am a lover of historical fiction and WWII novels. Even knowing the outcome, The Splendid and the Vile adds new details to my knowledge of the era and an understanding of the fortitude that leaders and citizens must have in wartime.
The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett
A prequel to The Pillars of the Earth, The Evening and the Morning takes us to England at the end of the Dark Ages. Follett follows the lives of a displaced boat builder, a Norman noblewoman, and a monk. Their fates are intertwined as they each survive the harsh world of the middle ages. The Evening and the Morning is Follett’s best in this series after The Pillars of the Earth (a historical fiction masterpiece in my opinion). Follett’s detailed writing allows the reader to imagine the scenery, towns and characters – he carries you into that world. I love a good long book and this 969-page book doesn’t disappoint. If you like getting lost in history, this is your book!
Honorable Mentions
I couldn’t not mention Books 7 & 8 in The Outlander series: An Echo in the Bone and Written in My Own Heart’s Blood. Diana Gabaldon’s series is a favorite of mine. An epic historical fiction, love-story (with some time travel involved) written in such detail that you can imagine you are in colonial America (or 18th Century Scotland if you start at the beginning). The Starz series is excellent but by necessity leaves out a lot from the books. If you are looking to get lost in a series, I highly recommend The Outlander. (A shout-out to Molly from book club who introduced us to Claire and Jamie almost 20 years ago!)
Happy Reading in 2021!
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