15 Books I Loved in 2020

About 4 years ago as a mom to a toddler and a newborn, things that I had previously loved where starting to be difficult to maintain. After a few months of frustration, I remember getting clear on a few things:

• I learned: can do anything, but I cannot do everything.

• I refused: to buy into the narrative that being a working mom meant being constantly frazzled all the time. There had to be a simpler way.

So I had to cut some things out of my life. I wasn’t cutting them forever, but I was letting go of the expectation that I could be all those things all the time. I gave up feeling bad for not taking my kids to nature as often as I thought I should. I dismissed my feeling that I needed to be fashionable all the time (I’ll take reasonably professional and basic). And I said that I wasn’t going to feel bad about not reading very many (or any) books. I just didn’t have the mental space.

Then a few years passed. My kids were sleeping through the night (it does happen eventually, new parents!) and every once in a while I could actually be in a different room from them while they were awake without risking their lives or a meltdown. I read a couple of books that friends had posted about. I enjoyed it! I wanted to read more. And by the end of the year, I found that I had read quite a bit more than I expected. I could fit it in with some prioritization + it was making me happier (here are the 7 books I loved in 2019). So this year, I wanted to continue to invest in that peaceful and fun part of my life. There’s still a handful of days left in 2020, and I might finish another book before then. If I do, that will be 60 books read in 2020. I thought I’d share some of my favorites this year. I keep track of what I read on Goodreads - connect with me there if you do, too!

Best Non-Fiction
All of these had lasting impacts on how I think about my life and show up in the world.

• Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving by Celeste Headlee

• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande

• Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski

Best Fiction
These were either just fantastic stories, or, in my case, really meaningful opportunities to explore the perspective of someone with a different life circumstance, identity, or background than me. In no particular order:

• Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

• There There by Tommy Orange

• The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

• Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle

• Educated by Tara Westover

• On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

• All Adults Here by Emma Straub

• Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2) by Ernest Cline

• Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

• Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong

Others I Enjoyed
I find it easy to quit books that I do not enjoy, so here is the rest of my list of completed books in 2020. I enjoyed all of them in some way.

• The Huntress by Kate Quinn

• Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha, #1) by Tomi Adeyemi

• The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club, #5) by James Patterson

• After the Flood by Kassandra Montag

• 1st to Die (Women's Murder Club, #1) by James Patterson

• Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

• 4th of July (Women's Murder Club, #4) by James Patterson

• 2nd Chance (Women's Murder Club, #2) by James Patterson

• The 6th Target (Women's Murder Club, #6) by James Patterson

• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1) by Alan Bradley

• All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

• The Guardians by John Grisham

• The First Lady by James Patterson

• Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara

• The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

• 3rd Degree (Women's Murder Club, #3) by James Patterson

• Recursion by Blake Crouch

• How to be a Happier Parent: Raising a Family, Having a Life, and Loving (Almost) Every Minute by K.J. Dell'Antonia

• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

• Witch & Wizard (Witch & Wizard, #1) by James Patterson

• The Witch's Daughter (The Witch's Daughter, #1) by Paula Brackston

• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

• The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

• We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. by Samantha Irby

• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

• Go Set a Watchman (To Kill a Mockingbird) by Harper Lee

• Little Bee by Chris Cleave

• Less by Andrew Sean Greer

• There Is No Good Card for This: What To Say and Do When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Kelsey Crowe

• The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West

• Life Will Be the Death of Me: . . . and You Too! by Chelsea Handler

• Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life by Marie Kondō

• Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

• Rage Against the Minivan by Kristen Howerton

• One Crazy Summer (Gaither Sisters, #1) by Rita Williams-Garcia

• Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You by Jen Hatmaker

• The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman

• Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and Hosting All Year Round by Myquillyn Smith

• 7 Days of Simplicity: A Season of Living Lightly by Jen Hatmaker

• We the Animals by Justin Torres

• The Captain and the Glory: An Entertainment by Dave Eggers

• WOLFPACK: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game by Abby Wambach

• The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Other Posts You Might Enjoy:

• 7 Books I Loved Reading In 2019

• Three Things I’m Loving Lately

• Progress Update: My 40 by 40 List

• Why Every Professional Needs a “Polish Week” Each Year

• An Annual Checklist for Managers

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