This year, I set a more realistic goal of reading 20 books. Little did I know that I’d have more time for reading than I knew what to do with. I tried to establish a routine, especially early in the pandemic, of reading every night before bed.
I continued to purchase e-books from BookBub and brick and mortar stores. I also wanted to read more books by Black authors, which you’ll see in what I read. If you want to keep up with what else I’m reading, or what’s on my to-read list, be sure to follow me on Goodreads.
Fiction
Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty
I watched the show on HBO but wanted to read the book because I knew there were some differences. It’s set in the coastal suburbs of Sydney and some of the characters play a smaller role in the book than in the series. It was a fairly quick read.
How to Build a Girl, Caitlin Moran
I wanted to read before movie came out but still haven’t seen it. It’s a clever novel about a young woman who becomes a music critic for a London magazine, meeting bands and dealing with insecurities while coming of age. I enjoyed it and would read others by Moran.
Magnetic Girl, Jessica Handler
I know I included this last year, but I actually finished it this year. I won a signed copy of this novel by another Georgia author from the Decatur Book Festival. It’s a fictional story about a real girl living in rural Georgia that has magnetic “abilities” and showcases them to paying customers.
Normal People, Sally Rooney
I will admit that I watched the show first and liked it enough that when I saw the book at a Little Free Library, I grabbed it. Set in Ireland, it is about two people coming and going from each other’s lives over the years after carrying on a secret relationship.
Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward
Set in Mississippi, this incredible book is about a young boy with special powers. He travels with his mom and young sister to pick his father up from prison. It won a National Book Award and is a New York Times bestseller.
Someday, Someday, Maybe, Lauren Graham
Yes, this is by Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls fame! It’s the second book I’ve read of hers and I think she’s a great writer. It’s about an aspiring actress in 90s New York City trying to get her “big break.” It’s a fun read and I was casting a movie version in my head.
The Color Purple, Alice Walker
I finally read this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic that I somehow missed in school, written by a Georgia legend. It’s about a woman who suffers years of abuse and separation from her sister but finds a way out with a charming singer.
The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde
This play was a quick read I had on my Kindle. I’m not super into Wilde but I thought I’d just finish it to cross it off the list. I’m sure it’s better to see performed than to read.
The Paris Wife, Paula McClain
In this fictional account of the first marriage of Ernest Hemingway, I found myself comparing it to Z, the story of Zelda Fitzgerald. Obviously, it wasn’t the actual account, but it was so believable. It’s really sad knowing how it ends for each of them.
This Is Where I Leave You, Jonathan Tropper
I loved the movie so when the book was on sale, I went ahead and bought it. I thought it was well-written but didn’t like the narrator as much in the book as I did in the film. But the idea of coming home and struggling with your family was very relatable.
Memoirs
Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
I’d listened to his interviews on the Longform podcast and finally read his most-acclaimed book. The quick read is based on letters he’s writing to his son. There are heartbreaking chapters like finding out that one of his college friends had been killed.
Coming Clean, Kimberly Rae Miller
I purchased this tough-to-read memoir about a girl whose parents are hoarders on sale. There are a few elements of levity but it’s mostly tragedy after tragedy. Miller is a good writer but I don’t think I would recommend it.
The Adult Orphan Club, Flora Baker
I’m immensely proud of my friend Flora, who wrote this part-memoir, part-guide to dealing with becoming an orphan by age 30. She provides information on handling wills, property, and funerals.
The Princess Diarist, Carrie Fisher
I absolutely adore Carrie Fisher so I knew I’d love her memoir about her years as Princess Leia in the Star Wars series. She definitely spills some tea about her affair with Harrison Ford and what it was like to become a massive star almost overnight.
Tracks, Robyn Davidson
I recently started this memoir about a woman who rode camels across the Australian Outback. I haven’t finished it yet but have found some of her interactions to be surprising. Her description of Alice Springs is spot on but she also gets into the race relations between white Australians and Aboriginal people. It’s also been turned into a movie.
Wanderlust, Elizabeth Eaves
I’ve read a lot of travel memoirs and sadly this was far from my favorite. I was interested in the fact that Eaves traveled to places that most people wouldn’t think of like Pakistan and Papua New Guinea. But unfortunately she’s an unlikeable narrator when describing cheating on her boyfriends.
Non-Fiction
All the Single Ladies, Rebecca Traister
I started this book a while ago but finally finished it. Traister has had a prolific career, writing a number of books related to feminism and publishing stories in every major outlet. As someone who is unmarried, I found myself highlighting a number of passages.
American Prison, Shane Bauer
This book is about a man that goes undercover as a guard at a rural Louisiana prison. I purchased it for a story I was working on that was ultimately put on hold due to Covid, but found it interesting how little training goes into becoming a guard.
Breaking Hate, Christian Picciolini
I’m working on a story about someone involved in a hate group and grabbed this book from the library. It’s written by a former neo-Nazi that interviews people leaving other hate groups. The ways that people get recruited is both fascinating and terrifying.
Burden, Courtney Hargrave
Another book borrowed for a story, this one tells of a man who leaves the Ku Klux Klan and is taken in by a Black pastor. He sells him his share in a Confederate shop, enraging the other owner. Ultimately, the pastor’s church takes over ownership. It’s also a movie (that I was an extra in!).
God of the Rodeo, Daniel Bergner
This book was one I purchased for research for the story that was shelfed. It’s about the men of Angola Prison in Louisiana and the annual event called the Angola Prison Rodeo. Inmates serve as cowboys and craftsmen to sell their wares to the public.
The Girls of Atomic City, Denise Kiernan
This very informative book shares the real-life stories of the young women that worked in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one of the sites that created the atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project. I wrote about my visit for Roadtrippers and when I shared this book with my grandmother, I learned that my great-grandfather worked on construction there.
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