Reading is a core part of my identity, and I'm glad that I was able to read a lot of great books this year. I also loved seeing reading through Avi's eyes as a way to make sense of the world and learn new words. All that being said, I thought I'd share a few favorites from this year:
My favorites:
*The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet. This book hooked me from the beginning. I'm a sucker for well-written books with multiples perspectives and timelines, and this was deserving of all the hype it got this year. I also gifted it to my mom for her birthday, and she devoured it too! It's the story of two identical twin sisters who go down two different paths in life and split directions when one of the sisters decides to pass for white and leaves her past behind. Bennet's other book The Mothers is definitely on my to read list.
*The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. This was a beautifully written fantasy book that contained an amazing combination of world-building, characters that stole my heart, and a unique blend of history and fantasy. I also read The Once and Future Witches by Harrow, which was great too! This book broke my heart and stitched it back together.
*The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. This delightful middle-grade novel is perfect for any Harry Potter fans. I loved Morrigan Crow's adventures, sense of being an outsider, and the whimsy of the world of Nevermoor.
*Powerful Teaching by Patrice Bain and Pooja Agarwal. This is a fantastic book for any teachers, or just anyone interested in how we learn. I think about this book all the time and use it all the time in my classroom. It has helped me to focus on making learning stick whether it's happening in-person, virtually, or hybrid this year.
*Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach. Food is a huge part of family life for me and most of my twenties was filled with good food and a love of cooking. Then I got pregnant and cooking lost a lot of its appeal with nausea and tiredness at the end of work. Early parenthood and returning to work made food and cooking feel more like a chore, which is okay, but I missed the feeling of enjoyment I got from cooking and the scent of garlic simmering. I was delighted by this book and the author's other posts on Cup of Jo. It made dinner feel like fun again, and I feel more like myself when I'm skimming cookbooks and experimenting in the kitchen, particularly over the weekend when I'm less rushed.
*The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison. Our friends and former neighbors highly recommended this book, which I'd heard about for a long time, but never read. I'm so glad I did! This dark fantasy, with an incredible world, characters, and powerful writing, stuck with me. I loved the way this book weaved together themes of oppression, climate change and human exploitation of the environment, and family ties. I've finished the second book in the series, and look forward to finishing the series soon.
*Deep Work by Cal Newport. This book (and his podcast) had a huge influence in how I think about work and managing my time and energy to work deeply and grow as a teacher. This is a great read if you're interested to learn more in time-block planning.
*Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine. I rarely read short story collections, but I loved this one! I received a copy of it from a friend, but didn't pick it up for a while. My favorite aspect of the book was the settings (mostly in Colorado) in each story. Thought-provoking insight into Denver, more rural areas of the state, gentrification, and the way the land has changed over time.
* The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi. I just read this last week, and I love it so much. It feels like a really comforting book all about embracing what matters to you and your family and letting go of the unimportant. Most of my close friends aren't parents, so I loved that this book gave me insight into another mom's perspective on home, work, and family. Also, I really appreciate super-specific, practical life tips, and this book had lots.
I'm contemplating making a list of want-to read books for next year, but I don't want it to feel like a checklist of books I have to read. I'd like to compile ideas, but have it feel more like inspiration than a to-do list. How do you keep track of what you want to read?
What did you read this year that's stuck with you, and what would you recommend I add to by TBR pile?
my favorite books of the year are the gift of ordinary days and untamed i think. :)
ReplyDeleteOoh, I also liked Untamed! The Gift of Ordinary Days sounds amazing too :)
DeleteI'm definitely adding those first 3 to my list! I also want to read Deep Work...I started the audio version once but I want to read the paper version. I also would like to read The Lazy Genius! I really enjoyed The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott and The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy by Katherine Arden for fiction reads, and I think my favorite non-fiction was Solve for Happy! (I also liked Indistractible a lot and it made me think a lot about what really makes me feel distracted in my life/why and what to do about it).
ReplyDeleteThe Bear and the Nightingale trilogy has been on my list forever, and this encourages me to put it on hold at the library! Thanks for the nudge.
Delete