You’d think 2020 would have been a great year for reading. Well, not for me… Sadly, practically no travelling (either around the city or further afield) meant getting through far fewer books than in a normal year. Still, there were some good ones, so here goes – my favourite books of 2020!
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
Heartbreaking. Beautiful. Full of the wonder and exasperation that come with a meeting of cultures. A story so full of humanity and kindness, of misunderstanding and frustration. And I learned so much about a part of the world and a culture I knew very little about. So good!
BECOMING by Michelle Obama
I’m not generally the biggest fan of biographies but this one I loved! Sure, getting glimpses of life in the White House is fascinating. Yet this book is so much more than that. Growing up in a certain cultural context and then learning to operate in a different one. Merging two very different family backgrounds to create their own. All stories we can all relate to yet so individual as well.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor’s story is one of deep pain and loneliness. When we first meet her, we know very little of her background. Slowly, as the story unfolds, layer after layer gets peeled back. At the same time, it is a story of kindness and deep humanity. Almost despite herself, Eleanor is drawn into friendship and community, and things start to change. Beautiful, very moving, and so well written.
KEYS TO BONHOEFFER’S HAUS by Laura M. Fabrycky
This book offers a unique blend of story and reflection. During her time in Berlin, the author was a volunteer guide at the house where Bonhoeffer’s parents lived and where he was arrested, causing her to reflect deeply on his life and legacy. She takes us along on her own journey of not just learning, but also of relating some of the principles and tensions she discovers to living in today’s world. The book was written prior to the current pandemic but reading it, as I did, in the midst of it, it seemed even more relatable and relevant!
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman
This short novella is incredibly insightful and moving – and so hard to describe in just a few words! Just to say that the context is a person’s (and his family’s) experience of dementia, so if that is a painful topic for you, now might not be the time for you to pick up this book. Go ahead and read some of my thoughts about it here and here. As ever, incredible writing by Fredrik Backman.
Ain't Mine No More 