2020 Audiobooks

This year, my happy place was cooking while listening to podcasts and audiobooks. I typically prefer nonfiction audiobooks that are read by the author. Here are my top five audiobooks for 2020:

• Know My Name, Chanel Miller: I spent much of this so angry I was in tears, but she’s such a beautiful, eloquent writer. I’m sure this a fantastic read, but I’m glad I got to hear her share her story in her own actual voice.

• Nobody Will Tell You This but Me, Bess Kalb: LOVED this. Kleenex is a must if you read or listen.

• Let Love Rule, Lenny Kravitz: I returned Mathew McConaughey’s book Greenlights after two chapters because I hated it so much and got this instead. I really loved this - his childhood was so interesting and I loved hearing about his grandparents. The music was a bonus.

• The Light of the World, Elizabeth Alexander: Absolutely beautiful and I loved hearing her read it.

• Good Morning Monster, Catherine Gildiner: Loved this book about some of a therapists more challenging, yet resilient patients even though it was not narrated by the author.

Here’s the full list with any notes I made while reading or after the fact:

Book, Author	Notes
Say My Name, Chanel Miller	I spent much of this so angry I was in tears, but she’s such a beautiful, eloquent writer. I’m sure this a fantastic read, but I’m glad I got to hear her share her story in her own actual voice.
Me, Elton John	I thoroughly enjoyed this as read by Taron Edgerton, who played him in Rocketman.
Horror Stories, Liz Phair	Keenly observed and beautifully written
Why We Can Sleep, Ada Calhoun	Speaks to gen exers in so many ways, but I still can’t sleep.
On Being Human, Jennifer Pastiloff	She’s a survivor.
The Naked Truth, Leslie Morgan	I liked the premise of this. 40-something woman fresh out of a loveless, passionless marriage decides to have some much- needed fun. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like it was much fun. It seemed like an exercise in revisiting all of the insecurities that many women outgrow as they get into their 30s and 40s. I will give her props for putting it all out there, though.
Breakshot, James Taylor	Loved this but it was over too soon.
Tightrope, Nicholas Kristof and a Cheryl WuDunn	More proof that we’re doing it wrong
Smacked, Eilene Zimmerman	Invented a host of chores to do so I could keep listening to this. Fascinating and harrowing.
The Witches are Coming	Yep
A Song for You, Robyn Crawford	Could not stop listening
Hill Women, Cassie Chambers	Would love to meet these women
Untamed, Glennon Doyle	A good portion of this spoke to me
If You Tell, Gregg Olson	This is a really messed up (true) story
Nobody Will Tell You This but Me, Bess Kalb	LOVED this. Kleenex is a must if you read or listen.
I Want You to Know We’re Still Here, Esther Safran Foer	Thought this was pretty good
Sigh, Gone, Phuc Tran	I enjoyed this
The Chiffon Trenches, Andre-Leon Talley	I enjoyed this
Craigslist Confessional, Helen Dea Bala	This was an interesting listen but quote voyeuristic
Empty, Susan Burton	Very good
The Fixed Stars, Molly Wizenberg	Might have liked this better if the author read it
Memorial Drive, Natasha Trethewey	Heartbreaking and beautiful
Eat a Peach, David Chang,	Enjoyable
Words + Music, Cheryl Crow	I enjoyed this
The Beauty in Breaking, Michele Harper	I wish the author would have read this
Three Little Words, Ashley Rhodes-Courter	Harrowing and very good
Let Love Rule, Lenny Kravitz	Loved
Carry, Toni Jensen	Really good
Good Morning Monster, Catherine Gildiner	Loved this even though it was not narrated by the author
Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger, Lisa Donovan	Really enjoyed this
This Particular Happiness, Jacki Shannon Hollis	Liked this
Group, Christie Tate	Cringeworthy
No Time Like the Future, Michael J. Fox	Worth listening too
She Come By it Natural, Sarah Smarsh	Sara Smarsh writing about Dolly – need I say more?
A Promised Land, Barack Obama	A treat to hear him read this
The Light of the World, Elizabeth Alexander	Absolutely beautiful and I loved hearing her read it.

You can read my 2020 book reviews, here.

2020 Books

I really struggled to read this year, and when I did read, I struggled to keep notes on the books I liked and didn’t. For that reason, I’ve had to go back and re-create the list and my impressions of each book as best I could. This was a tough reading year for a lot of us. I know I spent more time reading articles and staring at my phone than was healthy. When I was reminded that it might be healthier to focus on books during the latter part of the year, I found that not only did I read more, but enjoyed what I was reading more.

Here’s a loose top five for 2020:

• Disappearing Earth, Julia Phillips: I loved this book. The entire time I read it, I found myself looking up places and information on my phone. It transported me to a place I knew little to nothing about and I learned a lot.

• Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo: It actually took me a long time to get into this book but by the end I was a huge fan.

• The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett: I couldn’t put it down.

• The Giver of Stars, JoJo Moyes: Unexpectedly, I loved this. I was really tired of her books - they seemed formulaic and phoned in, but I read this upon the recommendation of a friend and it was great.

• Clap When You Land: Elizabeth Acevedo: I love a story about sisters.

Honorable mentions go to The Most Fun We Ever Had, Transcendent Kingdom, All Adults Here and Monogamy.

Here’s the complete list of books I read in 2020, with any notes I made or thoughts I remembered:

Book, Author	Notes
Lost and Wanted, Nell Fredenberger	I liked this well enough. Nothing earth shattering but readable.
They Called Us Enemy, George Takaei	An important read.
The Most Fun We Ever had, Clare Lombardo	I really liked this.
Bitter Orange, Claire Fuller	Read on recommendation of a friend and enjoyed it.
The Lager Queen of Minnesota, J Ryan Stradal	I didn’t love this. Too many terrible things happen to the characters and we had real life 2020 for that.
All This Could be Yours, Jami Attenburgh	I always enjoy reading her books, but this wasn’t my favorite of hers.
American Spy, Lauren Wilkinson	The abrupt ending bothered me.
All I Love and Know, Judith Frank	Incredibly sad.
Dear Edward, Ann Neapolitan	Not the ending I would have chosen, but I liked the book.
Girl, Woman, Other	Took me a long time to get into, but I really liked it by the end.
The Jetsetters, Amanda Eyre Ward	Meh
Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid	Didn’t live up to the hype
Writers & Lovers, Lily King	I liked this but not as much as Euphoria (admittedly a tough act to follow)
My Dark Vanessa, Kate Elizabeth Russell	Profoundly disturbing
Perfect Tunes, Emily Gould	Didn’t like this
Long, Bright River, Liz Moore	This was okay. Interesting story but I felt the writing was just ok.
Saint X, Alexis Schaitkin	This was decent.
Dearly Beloved, Carla Wall	I liked this more than I expected.
Clap When You Land, Elizabeth Acevedo	I liked this a lot – I am always fascinated by sisters.
A Good Neighborhood, Therese Anne Fowler	The ending didn’t to the book or the situation justice.
The Red Lotus, Chris Bohjalian	This was a HUGE disappointment to me.
The Glass Hotel, Emily St. John Mandel	This was no Station Eleven, but I did like it.
All My Mother’s Lovers, Ilana Masad	This was a quick read.
Disappearing Earth, Julia	I loved this book. I spent the entire time reading looking up places and information on my phone. It transported me to a place I knew little to nothing about and I learned a lot.
Friends and Strangers, J Courtney Sullivan	I liked this. I always enjoy her books. This wasn’t the best, but it was worth reading. Also, I liked it better than the other book I read with a similar premise (Such a Fun Age).
The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennet	I couldn’t put this down.
The Lying Life of Adults, Elena Ferrante	I hated it.
Transcendent Kingdom, Yaa Gyasi	I like this a lot. It wasn’t as good as her book Homegoing, but it was very good.
All Adults Here, Emma Straub	I liked this a lot
The Giver of Stars, Jo Jo Moyes	Unexpectedly, I loved this. I was really tired of her books - they seemed formulaic and phoned in, but this was great.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, V. E. Schwab	While I typically like books about time travel, this was not well-written and rather heavy handed and obvious.
Monogamy, Sue Miller	I loved this
Pretty Things, Janelle Brown	I thought that the ending was a little lackluster, but it was readable.
Memorial, Bryan Washington	Loved this.
Luster, Raven Leilani	Hard to describe. I couldn’t put it down but can say I liked it either.
Afterlife, Julia Alvarez	Interesting
The Girl with the Louding Voice	I liked it.
Want, Lynn Steiger Strong	Couldn’t put it down/not sure I liked it.
Rodham, Curtis Sittenfeld	If we are rewriting history, I think we can do better.

Read my audiobook reviews for the year, here.

The December Project Book Four - Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

I heard an interview with Tina Fey on the radio recently and she mentioned that she was on location filming a movie called Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.  I knew I had the novel, by David Shafer on my Kindle, so I decided to read it next.  I liked this book, but it was somewhat bizarre.  Without giving too much away, it deals heavily with the issue of online privacy, or the lack thereof, and it did make me think.  Of course, I quickly got over that in time to update my Facebook status and to write and post this entry.  

I just Googled the movie to see which part Tina is going to play, and to my surprise, it's not based at all on this book.  It's based on a book called The Taliban Shuffle:  Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan about a journalist in Kabul.  I actually think that I would have liked that book better...

I did manage to read one more book this month, which I just finished this morning.  Look for my post on The Nightingale tomorrow. 

We Never Asked for Wings, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

I loved Diffenbaugh's previous book The Language of Flowers so much, that I had mixed feelings as I began to read We Never Asked for Wings.  I could not wait to read it, yet I worried that I could not possibly like it as much as I liked the other.  And then I read it in one day.

Granted, it was a travel day, and I had hours of airport and plane time to devote to the enterprise, but I also stayed up until 1:30 am to finish the book after I got home.  While I did not find the premise of the book to be as compelling as that of The Language of Flowers, Diffenbaugh's writing ensured that this was an engrossing read.  The novel tells the story of a single mother of two living in the San Francisco area with her two children.  Even though it is fiction, I found it to be a timely read as it deals with several issues playing out right now in the United States political landscape -- namely wealth inequality and immigration.  I've always been a big fan of historical fiction because the dramatization of historical events often helps me to better understand them.  I had the same sensation while reading this book.

I may not have loved it as much as I loved The Language of Flowers, but I enjoyed We Never Asked for Wings, and felt that reading it was time well spent.   

Circling the Sun, by Paula McLain

Geraldine Brooks, Barbara Kingsolver, Alice Hoffmann - these are a few of my favorite authors.  When they publish a new book, I get it immediately, and often devour it in just a few days.  After reading Circling the Sun, I am adding Paula McLain to this list.  I loved The Paris Wife - the other book of hers that I read.  It was a fictional account of Hadley Richardson, Earnest Hemingway's first wife, and told the story of their time in Paris, while he wrote The Sun Also Rises.  I know that I like a book, when immediately after finishing it, I run to Google to learn more about the characters.  After finishing The Paris Wife, I ran to Amazon, first reading a non-fiction book about Hadley, followed by The Sun Also Rises, A Movable Feast, Hemingway's Boat and a book of Earnest Hemingway's letters.  This reading odyssey culminated in an actual odyssey when my husband and I traveled to San Sebastian and Pamplona to see some of the places I read about during this frenzy.  Upon hearing this, a friend who is an professor of literature told me, "You should have gotten a grant!"  I recount all of this to illustrate the fact that when I read something fictional about a real person, if it's done well, I am hungry to learn more.

Paul McLain's latest book Circling the Sun,  a fictional account of the life of Beryl Markham, is another wonderful example of this type of book.  Beryl Markham was, by many accounts, a fascinating woman - the first female horse trainer in Kenya and the first female pilot to fly cross the Atlantic from east to west.  As in The Paris Wife, McLain, does an amazing job of imbuing the book with a sense of of place.  You feel as if you are in Kenya in the early 1900's.  She also creates characters that are consistent and true to form so while the reader may not always agree with a character's decision; you still recognize the behavior as something that they would do.

I wanted to read this book the moment I heard about it, and waited several months for it to be released.  I often suffer from a condition that I call Inverse Expectation Disorder - if I am dying to see, read, or hear it, I am doomed to be disappointed, but if I am expecting it to be terrible, I end up loving it.  This book was a rarity in that I could not wait to read it, and when I did, absolutely loved it.  I cannot recommend it enough, and encourage people to pick it up when they can.  And while others are reading it, I will be moving on to West with the Night, by Beryl Markham and Out of Africa, by Isak Dinesen.  At least until Geraldine Brooks' next book comes out on October 6!