December 2020 Reads

Can I just say THANK GOODNESS FOR AWESOME WRITERS WHO WRITE AWESOME BOOKS? Seriously, they have been my escape and joy during this crazy year. The pandemic + library shutdown forced me to start using ebooks, but I definitely still prefer paper and am grateful for the return of library holds! I read 62 books this year; here's what I read this month. Would love to hear what you are reading too and/or if you have thoughts on any of these titles!

1. Hard for me not to feel compelled by the Korean mother/daughter coming of age story that is "The Last Story of Mina Lee" by Nancy Jooyoun Kim, but this genuinely is a captivating book about the secret histories people carry, and how it feels for other people to discover them later.

2. "Anxious People" uses the device of bringing together strangers under unusual circumstances. In gentle, patient fashion, Fredrik Backman reveals intersections, evolving relationships, and the powerful way strangers can help us see things in ourselves.

3. "One To Watch" by Kate Stayman-London was a fun, lighter read! It's set amidst reality TV and Internet influencer land (though I did stumble over the term "reblogs"...does anyone ever say that?). It was especially fun to read about and envision the plus size heroine relishing in fashion options.

4. WOW, I could not put "Dear Edward" by Ann Napolitano down. I finished it in less than a day (actually according to my Libby app, under 6 hours). The concept is deeply compelling and horrifying to imagine and deeply human.

5. As someone who spent a lot of adolescence wishing I was white (due to racial aggressions of all stripes) "The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett was so compelling. In the last quarter of the book, I was so fully invested in seeing where the characters landed that I found myself reading in whatever snatches of time I had (e.g., while standing at the stove waiting for tea water to boil).