An exhaustive - and sometimes exhausting - recap of about seven years of Barack Obama’s political career.
2020: The Best Books I Read
Curious about what to read first in 2021? These five-star reads and honorable mentions are a great place to start.
2020: The Worst Books I Read
I read these books so you don’t have to.
2020: The Best And Worst Audiobook Narrations I Heard
Almost 82 percent of my reading this year was done through headphones, but you don’t need to be an audiobook all-star to recognize a good narration from a bad one.
2020: My Year In Reading – The Stats
This infographic breaks down my reading by page count, hours listened, author diversity and genre.
2020: My Year in Books
Whether you stopped by once or were a return visitor, thanks for being a part of my book reading and reviewing hobby this year.
“A Christmas Carol” and the Other Classics I Read This Year
All told, I read 10 classics this year, which accounted for about 13 percent of my total books read – my English teachers would be so proud!
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
Expectation: A science-fiction version of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”
Reality: A deeply emotional, highly philosophical and ultimately feel good “what if” story.
The Houseplant – Jeremy Ray
“The Houseplant” proves that you can pack as much story, character development and emotion into a 5,000-word standalone story as some full-length novels.
Do You Have Literary Genre Bias?
How often do you step outside your literary comfort zone?
Ready Player Two – Ernest Cline
Expectation: Another trip down memory lane with hefty doses of geek culture.
Reality: Enjoyable and more accessible – from a pop culture perspective – but missing the energy that propelled the first novel.
Shuggie Bain – Douglas Stuart
Expectation: A bleak, yet heartfelt story about overcoming obstacles and discovering who you are.
Reality: This would be the most depressing book I’ve ever read if “Betty” didn’t take the crown last week.
Betty – Tiffany McDaniel
Expectation: The female “A Little Life.”
Reality: The most depressing book I’ve ever read, yet there was something still beautiful about its pain and misery.
Recommended For: People that like character driven stories, especially those about Americana.
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – Robert Dugoni
Expectation: A coming-of-age story about friendship.
Reality: A decades-spanning novel that explores faith, fate, friendship and love that is always enjoyable but also a bit far-fetched.
Recommended For: I saw one reviewer on Goodreads compare it to “Forrest Gump,” and while I never read the book, I can certainly see comparisons to the film. So, if you like a character that ends up in implausible situations with tidy endings, you’ll enjoy this.
You Think It, I’ll Say It – Curtis Sittenfeld
Expectation: A darkly comedic take on how judgmental our inner dialogue can be.
Reality: A surprisingly solid collection that easily alternates between funny and melancholy with a fair amount of hope thrown in.
Memorial – Bryan Washington
Expectation: Based on the book promo: A funny, sexy, profound dramedy about two young people at a crossroads in their relationship and the limits of love.
Reality: A beautifully written, but meandering dual-perspective story that often loses focus.
Sting-Ray Afternoons – Steve Rushin
Expectation: A self-pretentious memoir about moving up and moving on from where you came from.
Reality: Laugh out loud funny nostalgia served with a side of pop culture and sports history.
Trust – Pete Buttigieg
In "Trust," Mayor Pete outlines the many ways in which Americans have grown distrustful - of politics, of science, of media, of each other, etc. - and how foreign actors and partisan politics have exploited the schism.
Surrender Your Sons – Adam Sass
Expectation: A “Lord of the Flies”-esque novel about survival at any cost.
Reality: A pandering, mediocre and problematic novel that represents everything that’s wrong with young adult fiction.
The Bright Lands – John Fram
Expectation: Small town secrets brought to life in a queer take on “Friday Night Lights.”
Reality: You can’t write a synopsis without giving away the twists, but it has the tone of “American Horror Story” with the bonkers plot twists of the best Blake Crouch and Stephen King novels.