19 Books To Add To Your 2020 Reading List
I read 19 books in the first six months of 2020. I’m well on my way to setting a new record for myself (I read a total of 24 books in 2019 and 10 books in 2018). This is my 2020 6-month books review round-up.
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Table of Contents
19 Books To Add To Your 2020 Reading List
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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honey man
After only reading self-development books in 2019, I decided I wanted to start reading more fiction, still meaningful, but more lighthearted books. Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine was my first fiction book of 2020, and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, warm, full of quirky moments and just a good heartfelt book.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your cooy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing was a real page-turner. You feel for Kya, the main character as you learn about her upbringing and how she lived alone for years, so innocently. The ending totally surprised me, which made me like this book even more.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
I’m a big fan of Ryan Holiday. He is most commonly known for his work around stoicism as a way of living life. He believes you don’t control the world around you, but how you respond to it. The Obstacle is the way was a quick but inspiring book. You’ll find tons of examples in this book of successful people and how they came to be.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
Similar style to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Olive, Again is a book about a lady who is often awkward, says what’s on her mind and could use a few social skills but you can’t help but get attached to this character. We all have an Olive in our lives. You may even see a little bit of yourself in Olive.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Such a fun age is such a timely read in this time of racism awareness and how we all need to take a good look at ourselves (white folks) and do what we can to end racism. It’s such a good and important book. I found this novel to be a good example of showing racism and white privilege at play and how the different characters live and react through these scenarios. I would highly recommend this book.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
American Dirt was one of my favourite books so far this year. It’s a can’t-put-it-down, pager-turner kind of a book. I devoured it. I found it to be an eye-opener and I personally learned a lot when it comes to what people trying to come to America for a better life for themselves and their families have to go through when trying to cross the American border.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
I can see why The Handmaid’s Tale has been so popular, but for whatever reason, I simply couldn’t get into it. I think it’s just not the type of fiction book that gets me excited. There’s a TV series that I have yet to watch. It might’ve helped to get into it a bit more. There wasn’t anything wrong with this book, I think the genre simply isn’t my style.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Reese’s Book Club strikes again. Little Fires Everywhere is a great story showing different people with different backgrounds, stories and mindsets and how they interact with each other. You’ll find white fragility in action in this book. Another timely, important novel to read this year.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dame Traveler: Live the Spirit of Adventure by Nastasia Yakoub
Dame Traveler is the perfect coffee table book. It was so lovely going through and reading about female travellers from around the world. You get to see some of their favourite spots and the story and facts behind each of the photos. And the photos are absolutely breathtaking.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Buy the book here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
As a newbie to the world of ‘blogging’, Steal Like an Artist couldn’t have come into my life at a better time. For a long time, I wanted to share my experiences and travels but didn’t know where to start and how to go about it. I loved this book so much. It was a quick and easy read, but most importantly, I found it encouraging and very inspiring. Kleon has a unique style and, I love how he just says it like it is, and his content is very much to the point. Read the full review here.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Listen to any of these books on Audible. Get two free books with a 30-day trial.
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Start With Why is an excellent reminder of the importance of understanding your WHY. We all have a WHY. Whether as the leader of a team, in your area of expertise, or as an individual. It isn’t always clear, and it can get fuzzy sometimes. The lack of clarity of your WHY can have an impact on what kind of decisions you make daily. Read the full review here.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
I listened to The Testaments on audible. I bought the book at the same time I got The Handmaid’s Tale. The hype around this series was so high that I assumed I would enjoy these two books. As you already read above, The Handmaid’s Tale simply wasn’t my style. Because I already had The Testaments I figured I would still give it a try. I thought it might be easier to consume and go faster if I listened to the book. Which it did. I preferred this one, but again, because I wasn’t totally into it, to begin with, I might’ve not given it a fair chance. I do still want to watch the TV series one day.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐
The Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiani
Everyone should read The Code of the Extraordinary Mind. A big takeaway from this book is that you don’t have to follow all the rules that society has imposed on us for as long as we can remember. We can challenge the rules and the norms and once we know which rules to break, it allows us to embrace our extraordinary self.
Book description from the Goodreads website.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
I loved Anything You Want. It’s a great read, and you can finish it in one sitting. It’s a good reminder that you can be successful just by remaining focused on what you love, that wanting to grow into a big business won’t necessarily make you happy in the long run. Read my ten favourite takeways from this book here.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
I just love Austin Kleon’s work. I like the way he thinks, how he explains things and the creative, artsy side of him. As soon as I finished Steal Like an Artist, I ordered Show Your Work. His third book Keep going is on my bookshelf waiting for me and I know I won’t be disappointed.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐
Then End of White World Supremacy by Malcolm X
I wasn’t very familiar with Malcolm X until I started researching resources to help me educate myself on how to unlearn anti-racism tendencies. The End of White World Supremacy was a great book to get to know this influential Black American from the 1960s. It’s a different kind of book as it is a compilation of four of his major speeches. It’s a different way of learning about someone. The book also comes with a link to the audio version of two of the speeches.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐
Black Stats by Monique W. Morris
As part of the list of recommendations being shared online related to the Black Lives Matter movement, Black Stats was one of them that I ordered and was one of the first books to arrive in the mail. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but that’s totally on me. The book is a compilation of all stats related to African Americans. It’s an important book and definitely a good reference to have. I personally would’ve like to see more context and information shared with the stats.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
With Untamed, Glennon Doyle manages to touch on what seems to be every social hot topic that we’re currently facing or should be talking about more. Her ability to articulate and contextualize social issues and to give her thoughts on them and how society should deal with them is very inspiring.
There are so many hell yes moments in this book. It’s never-ending with ‘oh this is good’, ‘well said’, ‘I can totally relate to this’ moments. Read the full review here.
Book description from the Goodreads here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
I found White Fragility very helpful and honestly think that if you’re white, you should read it. It would be a great first book to read if you’re a white person genuinely wanting to embark on a journey of understanding how our racism manifests and how we can unlearn our racists’ patterns.
Book description from the Goodreads website here.
Get your copy here.
Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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You might also like :
Untamed by Glennon Doyle Book Review
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon Book Review
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers Book Review
Start with Why by Simon Sinek Book Review
