Friday, January 1, 2021

Favorite Books Read in 2020

 

In 2020 I finished 37 books, of which 

5 children/YA books, 

5 shorter works, 

4 memoirs,

2 biographies (including Santa Claus: A Biography)

1 poetry volume,

0 plays, and 

2 books of the Bible.  

20 fiction, 17 nonfiction.


The best fiction I read in 2020

The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead. © 2019.

Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.  First published 1860-1861.  


The best non-fiction I read in 2020

The Warmth of Other Suns:  The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson.  © 2010.  

Mistakes were made (but not by me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts , by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson , © 2007, 2015.  I can’t say that the prose is as elegant as Wilkerson’s, but I keep coming back to the ideas presented in this book.  

These Truths:  A History of the United States, by Jill Lepore. © 2018.  Strictly speaking, I read this during 2018, 2019 and 2020.  



In the OMG category

Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum Book 26), by Janet Evanovich.  © 2019.

A light read for book club.  Quite amusing, with some really outlandish scenes.


Books I re-read in 2020

Ruth, the Bible.  Probably written in the 5th Century BCE.

I re-read this to prepare in a hurry to co-lead our church women’s retreat, when our scheduled leader was not able to attend due to illness.


The Gospel of Matthew, the Bible.  Written ~85 CE.

A speed reading to try to see real quick what Jesus would do. 


Least Favorite

Triggered:  How the left thrives on hate and wants to silence us, by Donald Trump Jr. , © 2019. 

Usually if I don’t like a book, I quit reading it.  But this book was supposed to help me not stay in “my bubble” so I valiantly finished it, taking one for the team.







2 comments:

Melissa said...

I give you credit for taking one for the team. I won't, not those.
I really loved The Witches are Coming by Lindy West. My book club read some real good picks, too, like In Falling Snow and The Vanishing Half and The Million Dollar Boy.

Suburban Correspondent said...

I loved The Warmth of Other Suns, also!