Skip to main content

 My Top 10 Reads in 2020


Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Leguin

Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker

Every book on this list was an exceptional read for me in 2020: Beautiful Ruins and Prodigal Summer both had lush, lovely descriptions that put the reader right there in the middle of everything. Wild and Lab Girl were honest, brave, and interesting. Where the Crawdads Sing had that focus on the natural world that I crave. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous pushed the boundaries of the form. The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula LeGuin, you are amazing; this was a timely read for me and the main character's perspective on life balance was relatable.

The standout for me, though, was Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker. It is fresh, futuristic, and smart. This collection of short stories knocked me out. I look forward to reading Pinsker's 2019 A Song for a New Day and her forthcoming novel, We Are Satellites, out in May. I feel like she's showing us what fiction will look like going forward.

Look for reviews for each of the above at this site soon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eventide by Christine Allen-Riley

  Published October 20, 2014 5/5 Stars Devon Greer’s world is shattered when a tragic car accident takes her best friend, Rachael. Miserable with grief, Devon attempts to adjust to this new, hostile reality, in which the kids at school (and most of Rachael’s family) blame Devon for Rachael’s death, since Devon was driving the car that fateful night. Not long after the accident, Devon has reason to question her own sanity when she sees Rachael running through the woods next to the road near the accident site. Upon investigating, Devon finds there are more creatures living in the woods than just wildlife, and she begins to believe there’s a chance to rescue Rachael from them and bring her back. Will Devon and Jonah – Rachael’s cousin who has discovered the secret in the woods as well, and who is developing tender feelings for Devon – be able to rescue Rachael before it’s too late? Allen-Riley has taken the wild and beautiful forests and waters of Michigan’s
1 comment
Read more

Brown Dog by Jim Harrison

  The character of Brown Dog is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan's Siddhartha. Brown Dog is always on the lookout for a good fishing river, a night of carnal pleasure, or an odd job that pays enough to buy a six-pack. He is happiest when he is in the woods of Michigan and flying under society's radar. He is a flawed every-man with simple tastes and a pure heart whose bare-knuckled fighting skills, occasional poor judgment, and adherence to his own set of rules rather than the law of the land often land him in one sort of trouble or another. He does his very best to take care of those who can't take care of themselves, even when he's having a hard time meeting his own needs. This book collects all of the various Brown Dog novellas into one (along with one new B.D. novella) so lovers of Brown Dog can immerse themselves in his off-kilter hero's journey. I am so fond of the character of Brown Dog. As someone who has lived in and has strong memories of the U.P., I
Post a Comment
Read more

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

  In a sentence, this book is about love, loss, and the environment. It's made up of the stories of three women who are living in a small struggling area of farmland at the base of a mountain in southern Appalachia. A wildlife biologist lives a reclusive life in a rustic mountain cabin, observing a newly-arrived pack of coyotes, until a young hunter interrupts her solitude. An entomologist from the city moves to the small town for love, and eventually has to decide whether to stay and care for the land she's come to love and become part of the large farming family or go back to the city. Just down the road, sparks fly as a couple of elderly neighbors – one with an organically grown apple orchard and the other with a dream to repopulate a decimated species of chestnut tree – feud over how to care for the land. Over the course of a summer, the three determined women fight for what they want and discover how they are connected. I really loved this book. Its pace is languorou
Post a Comment
Read more