5 Books that Will Stay with Me Past 2020

According to the calendar, 2020 is nearly behind us, but that still feels like an impossible thing. 2020 doesn’t seem to have a lot of redeeming qualities to it when I think of it as a whole, but one good thing that has come from it is all the books that I’ve had a chance to read. I’m 7 books away from doubling my original reading goal for the year and am sure I’ll reach that without any problem with the 9 weeks left in the year (I’ve read an average of 3 books a week). I’ve read so many good books that it seems impossible to pick favourites (or when I do they change the next day), so here are 5 books that I will be thinking about long after 2020.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. The day that I finished this book in March, I wrote in my journal “I will be thinking about Danny and Maeve Conroy for a long time”. Months later, it’s still true. This was my first book of fiction from Ann Patchett, and unsurprisingly I loved it as much as her non-fiction writing. I love character-driven stories, and I feel like the beautiful writing of The Dutch House was a master class in that. Although I generally prefer not to listen to audiobooks for fiction, I chose to listen to this one since Tom Hanks was the narrator. It was definitely the right choice. 

Here for It by R. Eric Thomas. I honestly would have bought this book just for the cover, but thankfully the pages inside were just as beautiful. This collection of essays are funny, thought provoking and although I am not a gay, black, American man, I felt seen within its pages. If you want to laugh, cry and have your heart changed all at once, this is the book for you. 

The Huntress by Kate Quinn. I read this book back in January and it's still one of my favourite books of the year. The Huntress pulled me in from the beginning and didn’t let me go until the very end or after (I still think about it now months after reading it). The story was a slow burn in the best way, leaving room for great character development and a suspenseful and satisfying ending. I can’t wait to see what Kate Quinn has planned for her next book. 

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. All year, I had been hearing about how great Such a Fun Age is and after reading it this summer, I agree with the hype. It was eye opening, thought provoking, funny and heartbreaking, and had more drama than I was expecting. I personally really liked the ending (I’ve seen reviews from many that didn’t), but I would not be opposed to a sequel, either way, I just want more from Kiley Reid. 

Untamed by Glennon Doyle. I listened to the audiobook of Untamed at the beginning of April, and I’m still thinking about it all these months later. I had to buy my own copy because I knew I would need to reread it one day (plus the cover is too pretty). I nodded enthusiastically throughout the majority of this book and had to write down a few of the quotes in my phone that hit me the hardest so I would remember them. One of those, which I have repeated to myself many times in the last couple of months is “feelings are for feeling. Feel it all”. This has become my new mantra and has helped a lot in these unprecedented times.