| Author |
Message |
Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Sunday, December 13, 2020 - 11:55 am 
I was perusing my 2020 books read spreadsheet and decided my favorite read this year was Educated, a Memoir by Tara Westover. I found it fascinating and surprisingly compassionate.
My reading was not as robust this year with libraries being closed re Covid but this is the book that I think about the most often of all that I read. The reading year has had many hits and misses and I stopped reading things that didn't interest me more versus plodding thru to the end.
I don't read much non fiction so it is a bit of a surprise to me that my fav for the year is a non fiction book that is a few years old.
I know it is hard too choose, but what is your favorite read of 2020? It doesn't have to be published in 2020, just a book read this year.
|
Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Monday, December 14, 2020 - 10:08 am
My book reading has been way down this year as my attention span is just nil.
I have two favorites:
How We Fight for Our Lives (Saeed Jones) was THE book of this year that I will never forget. Amazing, amazing, amazing. Probably the best final line in a book ever written.
Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other (Sam Heughan & Graham McTavish) was my fun read - both audio and Kindle versions. It made me laugh and gave me a break from all the stress of the school year. For that I will be forever grateful.
|
Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Monday, December 14, 2020 - 10:14 am
Good question, Sugar.
My list for the year is sad. I looked through this thread and my Kindle and found only 12 books. Dismal amount for me. There may have been a few more through Kindle Unlimited I couldn't track. I found it hard to read this year. I found quite a few started and unfinished too.
I guess my favorite would either be The Escape Room by Megan Goldin or The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid as well.
|
Egbok
Member
07-13-2000
| Monday, December 14, 2020 - 11:51 am
Teach, thank you for your two recommendations.
I recently signed up for Audible so I went there to look up "How We Fight for Our Lives" by Saeed Jones. I read the review and listened to the sample. The book is read by Saeed Jones and after 30 seconds of hearing his voice as he read his story, I was hooked. Mr. Jones speaks clearly and eloquently and just drew me into his story.
Audible was having a sale for this book for $5.00 or one of my Credits. I bought the Audible book for $5.00 and I look forward to hearing this memoir.
|
Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Monday, December 14, 2020 - 4:49 pm
Thanks, Egbok. I took advantage of the $5.00 deal. 
|
Egbok
Member
07-13-2000
| Monday, December 14, 2020 - 9:55 pm
You're welcome!!
|
Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Monday, December 14, 2020 - 10:32 pm
I’m sorely tempted to agree with Teach about the Saeed Jones book as my favorite for 2020. Alas, I must go with Chanel Miller’s Know My Name — it’s been months since I finished it but the haunting elements continue to haunt me because of how disturbing they were. The Jones book got to me in a similar fashion but for entirely different reasons. Again, it was very difficult to choose one over the other. My favorite work of fiction, though, was Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, which was a stunning achievement on so many levels.
|
Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Monday, December 14, 2020 - 11:28 pm
Educated and Know My Name for me.
|
Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Tuesday, December 15, 2020 - 8:32 am
I really loved Educated, so much of it resonated with me.
I'll have to look up these others... what a great idea for a thread!
|
Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Tuesday, December 15, 2020 - 3:51 pm
Great thread Sugar! I'm going to go with Westering Women by Sandra Dallas because it introduced me to a new author and genre. I went on to read three more of her books this year.
|
Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Tuesday, December 15, 2020 - 6:51 pm
Thanks everyone, I'm pleased people like the thread.
Kappy, glad you are still enjoying the Sandra Dallas books.
|
Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Wednesday, December 16, 2020 - 11:39 am
Yes, Sugar, and I believe I have you to thank for that! I actually just finished number five from her, The Last Midwife.
|
Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Friday, December 18, 2020 - 2:00 am
Just thought I'd add a certain somebody's favorite book list of 2020. I hope you don't mind.
quote:Barack Obama
@BarackObama
As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share my annual lists of favorites. I’ll start by sharing my favorite books this year, deliberately omitting what I think is a pretty good book – A Promised Land – by a certain 44th president. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did.
Link to see list
|
Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Friday, December 18, 2020 - 4:26 pm
From Barry's  list I've heard tons of praise for Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. It's on my tbr list. I hope to get to it someday.
|
Tresbien
Member
08-26-2002
| Saturday, December 19, 2020 - 11:07 am
I love to share favorite reads, and I gave three copies of Truly Madly Guilty to friends.
Wonderful topic, Sugar, thank you and everyone.
|
Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Sunday, January 03, 2021 - 12:03 pm
I seem to have only read 71 books last year and did not finish 8. It is over a book a week but I suspect it is probably at least 20 books shy of what I would normally read.
Although I did like many of the fiction books I read, there weren't any real stand out books that I continue to ruminate over or feel compelled to really encourage other to read. As mentioned in my first post in this thread, I was surprised my fav book was non fiction.
Some of the fiction books I did like were:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
and the odd little book, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
|
