As we wrap up the year, I'm of course starting to think about my top reads of 2020 out of the 108 books (and counting!) that I have read. Pandemic reading led to a lot of escapist and therefore not the highest quality, but sprinkled throughout the year I have had some excellent reads. Some I have reviewed already in past posts, but here's a sneak peek at some top contenders to be included in the list. A couple of them are quite recent, others from much earlier in the year, but all sticking with me still.
Charles and James are selected to co-pastor Third Presbyterian Church in Greenwich Village in 1963, a time when the church's membership is flagging and times are politically turbulent in general. Their very different styles work well to cover the range of things needed in a church, but these differences also can make it difficult to work together, or for their families to live side by side. Charles is very erudite and focused on the preaching/ministering to congregants; he has come later in life to faith but is very confident in it; yet somehow he has fallen in love with Lily, his wife who is staunchly atheistic after the trauma of losing her parents in childhood. James comes from a hardscrabble family and is bombastic in both his faith and skepticism, and strongly focused on social justice in his ministry, while his wife, Nan, is the child of a pastor and much more the typical "pastor's wife" than Lily, with a long-time, steady faith. The main thrust of the story is the relationship of these two couples within their marriages and with the other couple over the course many years, as well as showing their various individual relationships with religion/faith, but I was also really struck by the illustration of different approaches to motherhood as well, in terms of paths to motherhood, the tension of roles/identity for women, and the way women support one another. I enjoyed this book when I read it - it's one of those character-driven novels that still seems to move along quite well, and it's an excellently written debut - and then even more when I had a chance to discuss it with my bookclub thanks to the great themes for discussion. Peter read it quite recently, and talking about it with him again now made me realize how it's a somewhat quiet book, but it's still sticking with me strongly. I don't think it is necessary for readers to be of the Christian faith; though that certainly will inform a reading of it and make it impactful, I think what it has to say about doubt, faith, religion, and relationships can be universal.
4/5 stars - learned about it from Annie on From the Front Porch and then wanted to pick up even more after Shea gave it a great review too!
Gifty is an extremely smart and dedicated researcher, finishing a PhD in neuroscience at Stanford with research focusing on reward-seeking behavior in mice, and now the neural pathways in addiction and depression work. It quickly becomes clear what led her to this place: her brother, a star high school athlete who got injured and hooked on OxyContin, died of an overdose when she was young; her mother, a Ghanian immigrant to Alabama, has had a couple of bouts of deep depression in the aftermath, including one now, where she is sleeping away the days in Gifty's apartment. The story has Gifty trying to help her mother in the present as she wrestles with what hard science can do to help her understand the world in combination with what the strong religion of her youth (her faith now lost) can do as well; it also has her reflecting on her past and how this wrestling with science/religion developed from her family's relationships and experiences. This one has gotten a lot of buzz, as a second novel from the author of the excellent Homegoing. And it did not disappoint! While Homegoing was grand on a scale of covering many generations, this one is much quieter, about one Ghanian immigrant and her family, but still grand in the themes and topics covered: science, religion, faith, and their interplay; addiction and its effects on families; relationships between mothers and daughters, along with the extra dynamics of culture/assimilation with immigrant families. And though the style and setting in time is different, it actually made me think back a lot on reading another excellent sophomore novel, The Vanishing Half, in having this daughter character go off to California and study science, and try to figure out herself/her relationship with her mother. Kind of dying to talk to someone who has read both so that we can (a) gush about them and also (b) examine and synthesize a bit more. Both are very compelling stories that pack an emotional punch and leave you with so much to discuss! Also reminded me of reading A Place for Us, with the storytelling style of looking back at the main character's childhood, interspersed with the present; the introspective yet very readable style; and the insights into an immigrant family, the tension between parents and children and their approach to religion, and the overall warmth of love and care despite their difficulties in fully understanding one another.
5/5 stars - pre-ordered from The Bookshelf because I loved her first novel, and also because Annie gushed about it on From the Front Porch
In this collection of essays, R. Eric Thomas gives some of the humor and snarky pop culture critique that he's known for as an Elle magazine columnist, which makes for delightfully fun reading - but even better are the reflections on growing up and coming into his own despite always feeling like he's on the outside, whether that's as one of the few Black kids at his suburban high school, as a gay man in the church, etc. All of the writing is infused with warmth and humor; I really appreciated his perspective on faith and on being "other" in America, and I found his journey to self-confidence and acceptance to be impactful too. It was interesting to read this alongside The Dearly Beloved, with the themes of religion/doubt/faith, who is accepted by the church, the ever-present tensions of church/country/social justice - plus, he is married to an Episcopal minister! And makes lots of funny jokes about being the "preacher's wife." A really well done and enjoyable essay collection that I feel like has a general "it gets better" message for anyone who feels "other," illustrated by Eric's personal journey and conveyed in a very honest and heartfelt way.
4/5 stars - another From the Front Porch recommendation! Had not been familiar with his writing but now I will def follow it in general
Essentially, this book re-imagines Hillary Rodham Clinton's life if she actually had said no to marrying Bill instead of yes - and how that might have worked out for her personally and politically. It's almost 2 different books - the time of meeting/dating Bill, and then the time of a presidential campaign something like 40 years later. I'd say part one was fine - decently interesting, rather a lot of sex - but part two was completely engrossing to me. Part one did seem necessary for the setup to understanding who this version of Hillary becomes, but it was perhaps a bit long; part two I couldn't put down because it was so fascinating in a twilight zone type of way (though some 2016 flashbacks did spike my anxiety a bit), and in an insider look at campaigning/wondering how the campaign was going to shake out kind of way. I saw pretty mixed reviews of Rodham and had mixed feelings about the other Curtis Sittenfeld books I read this year (Prep and You Think It, I'll Say It), so it admittedly took me a little while to pick this up - but wowza, was I enthralled once I did. I finished it almost 2 months ago and I truly can't stop thinking about it because of the themes and also how it operated, as one review said, as "fiction as therapy." A side effect of reading, though, is that I can't not think of the real Hillary Clinton as this character, which is weird, especially now that I've started listening to her (very good) new podcast - but I will also say that this fictionalized, "what could have been" character did really give me a refreshed perspective on the real Hillary and what it would feel like to be one of the first women really being a contender for president. If you like books that present an alternate history; inside-look stories, particularly of political campaigns; thinking about themes of treatment of/double standards for/glass ceilings for women in politics, how decisions can change a life's trajectory, how society treats women's career ambitions vs. men's; how we define people in relation to their decisions/family/spouses; Hillary Clinton herself; or Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife (fictionalized account of the life of Laura Bush), I recommend picking up Rodham!
4.5/5 stars - fulfilled my "three books by the same author" category in the MMD 2020 reading challenge and my (apparently still existing) need for 2016 election catharsis
This one also has gotten a ton of buzz - clearly Kate Baer's poetry is an entree into the poetry genre for many people who wouldn't otherwise read it, with her accessible and relatable style, and it is connecting with and speaking to the real lives and feelings of lots of women. I am no exception! Reading these poems, I am struck by her talent and creativity in presenting the mundane in ways that are both beautiful/poignant and simply/honestly put. For me and the circumstances of my life, she's definitely a writer who can put into words feelings and thoughts that I hadn't quite articulated to myself about womanhood and motherhood and relationships and love, and her words just land so hard and real and true. It's a slim little volume, but it packs a punch. I can see reading through it quickly, but I savored a few at a time. Have to post a couple from her Instagram below so you can see for yourself, if you haven't already (originals here and here). Oh and side note: the poems that she makes from comments from trolls/critical people (i.e., men) are SO excellent and piercing, like this and this.
5/5 stars - started reading her work on Instagram thanks to Kelsey, and pre-ordered the book as soon as I learned it was going to be a thing
These aren't my only top contenders of the year, but I've noticed some interesting themes among these: (1) Annie Jones of The Bookshelf/From the Front Porch podcast has led me to some excellent books; (2) a couple of these were Read with Jenna picks, and I'm finding that she's a way better bet for me than Reese Witherspoon's book club picks; and (3) much as I say I love a good plot, what with fiction what tends to stick with me and make it to the top is un-putdownable character-driven stories.
Would love to know what might make it on your top books of the year list - there's still a bit of time for something I might have missed!
Update: here is my 2020 top books list by category!
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