By popular demand (and also because I feel this digital record fits my blogging goals & style) — here is my own personal list of 2020 books, including those already read and those I plan to read in future quintiles. I get my picks from a combination of sources but my favorite is Modern Mrs. Darcy! Definitely check out her blog and podcast if you haven’t already.
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Symbols Key
If I really enjoyed a book and can highly recommend it, there will be a ✅
If I obsessively tore through a book and loved it, there will be a ♥️
Don’t get me wrong; I still enjoyed many of the others! The icons are reserved for standouts. If I abandon a book, I will remove it from this list.
2020 TOTAL THUS FAR: 50 (12.31.20, 18 nonfiction / 32 fiction)
Q1: Jan – Spring Break
The Lager Queen of Minnesota by Ryan Stradal ✅ Finished 1/3
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mendel. (NOTE: This almost get a heart because it’s a fascinating read (and thought experiment), but it haunted me too much after the fact even BEFORE COVID-19 broke out. Sensitive people would NOT benefit from reading this now.) Finished 1/7
Your Money Or Your Life by Vicki Robin Finished 2/11
Celine by Peter Heller ✅ Finished 1/19
Indistractible by Nir Ayal Finished 2/8
The Snow Child by Even Iver Finished 2/20
Mindset by Carol Dweck Finished 2/15
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett ♥️ Finished 3/5
(Not a ton of reading initially after the outbreak began — too shellshocked to concentrate, I think!)
Q2: Spring Break to End of School Year
The Antidote to Everything by Kimmery Martin ✅ Finished 3/31
Topeka School by Ben Lerner Finished 4/17
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton ✅ Finished 5/20
The Cortlandt Boys by Laura Vanderkam ♥️ Finished 4/17
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary Finished 5/1
How Artists Work by Mason Currey Finished 5/14
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson ♥️ Finished 5/5
The Getting Things Done Workbook by David Allen Finished 5/22
I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel ✅ Finished 5/24
Q3 SUMMER (ie, whole portion with kids out of school)
Joy at Work by Marie Kondo Finished 6/20
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles ♥️ Finished 6/16
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld ♥️ Finished 6/28
Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler Finished 10/10
How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi ♥️ Finished 9/2
Big Summer by Jennifer Wiener ♥️ Finished 7/20
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (resident book club pick!) ✅ Finished 8/20
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid ♥️ Finished 8/2
Beach Read by Emily Henry Finished 7/15
How to Stop Losing Your Sh!T With Your Kids by Carla Naumburg ♥️ Finished 7/24
Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton ✅ Finished 9/7
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas ♥️ Finished 7/8
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett ❤️ Finished 8/29
Sex & Vanity by Kevin Kwan ✅ Finished 8/11
Q4: Back to SCHOOL (dare we hope . . . ) to Halloween
The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachie ✅ Finished 9/18
Citizen by Claudia Rankine ✅ Finished 9/30
I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman Finished 10/10 ✅
I’d Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos ❤️ Finished 10/27
Brunch & Other Obligations by Suzanne Nugent Finished 10/17
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn Finished 9/27
Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum ✅ Finished 9/18
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson ❤️ Finished 10/4
Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West ❤️ Finished 10/20
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo ✅ Finished 10/29
Q5: End of Year Reflection (Nov 1 – Dec 30)
Deacon King Kong by James McBride ❤️ Finished 11/11
Essentialism by Greg McKeon Finished 11/17
Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler ❤️ Finished 11/21
Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing and Underliving by Celeste Headlee Finished 11/29
Writers & Lovers by Lily King Finished 11/19
This Tender Land by William Kent Kreuger ❤️ Finished 12/1
Becoming by Michelle Obama
The Paper Organizing Solution by Lisa Woodruff ❤️ Finished 12/26
The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell’Antonia Finished 12/21
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes ❤️ Finished 12/26
Plus likely catchup & TBD!!!