For 2019, my reading goal was two books a month. This year, my goal was 3 books a month. I exceeded my goal this year by completing 38 books (with a few more partially read). This doesn’t include all the books I read aloud to my kids at bedtime. (Hello, Next Best Junior Chef Books 1, 2, and 3, and Unusual Chickens books 1 and 2 – all of which I read out loud twice…!)
Looking back, what surprised me is that 16 of them were audiobooks. I never thought I would enjoy audiobooks but thanks to our library’s audiobook system, I’ve been able to “read” while I paint. A win-win.
Now at year’s end, I’ve compiled my top 5 picks for 2020. Since it’s hard to rank them, I’m listing them by category:
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Favourite Novel
A beautifully written exploration of womanhood in society through the imagined story of Ana, wife of Jesus of Nazareth. I loved both the story and the characters as Sue Monk Kidd helped me imagine Jesus in a new way while also weaving in some familiar names from the gospel accounts. Contains some violence and disturbing scenes so I would recommend this as an actual paper read. The audio book might be too intense for some. (I lent this to my mom and she loved it. She says she’d also recommend it!)
Favourite Memoir
A wonderful Canadian read. This was a delightful memoir written from the perspective of an adult daughter who joins her elderly father on a quest to find out about their ancestry in Ireland. I would definitely recommend the audiobook version as it’s read by the author whose acting skills and accents are both endearing and entertaining.
Favourite Parenting Book
With middle school around the corner for our eldest daughter, I wanted to start reading about this next season of parenting. Written by a middle school teacher and mother, The Gift of Failure makes an excellent case for letting your children learn from their mistakes. I found this book accessible, informative, and inspiring.
Favourite Book on Racial Understanding
Tim read this book last year and had told me about how the audiobook version was like listening to an extended podcast. Gladwell uses actual sound clips for his quotes, making the experience more immediate and interesting. What I took away from this book was a deeper understanding on the psychology behind police brutality toward people of colour, as well as insights into my own behaviours and tendencies.
Favourite Book on the Global Issues
Listening to Melinda Gates read this audiobook was like sitting across from her and hearing her share both her personal stories as well as insights on issues women face around the world. This book was educational, intelligent, and inspiring. Tim also read this one before me and my curiosity was piqued by the bits he shared with me so I had to read it for myself.
Honourable Mentions
Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans (living your best life – I wrote a whole blog post about how this book changed my year, and possibly my life!)
Miracles and Other Reasonable Things by Sarah Bessey (spiritual memoir – My favourite book by Sarah Bessey so far; she is honest and real about both the struggles and miracles she experiences)
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield (memoir – I loved this one so much that after I read it myself, I borrowed it again to read it to my kids)
Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison (race relations – out of the 5 books about race I read this year, this was the most practical and hopeful)