Every year, it is my goal to read 24 books or two books a month. This year, I read 25, and have some suggestions for you!
I read some great books and some that truly made me cringe. Read on for what I recommend as you create your 2020 reading list, and scroll to the bottom for the ones that you can give as gifts to people you hate.
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My Top 5: Books that changed the way I see things
Book of Joy – Written based on a five-day conversation by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, this should be required reading for the beginning of every new year.
Great Believers – I laughed along with these characters and cried openly as I finished it. Based in Chicago in 1985 with a little back-and-forth with modern Paris, this book brought to light an entire era that changed the way I see ‘pride’.
Behold the Dreamers – Written from the perspective of a Cameroonian in New York City, the author built a bridge between white Americans and immigrants in a readable, inspiring way.
Happy Pocket Full of Money – More required reading for anyone who has a conflicted relationship with money, especially entrepreneurs.
The Hate U Give – This was my first ‘can’t put it down’ book of the year. This gave a perspective into what it’s like to grow up between several cultures in America and was WAY better than the movie.
Honorable Mentions:
Where the Crawdads Sing – This was probably on everyone else’s top 5 lists this year, and it was a story that kept me captivated until the end.
Mummy Come Home – This book was gifted to me in Malaysia, and while it was a good read, it was dark. Trigger warnings all around, but it was well written and certainly eye-opening to the ‘other side’ of travel. (Other side being those who do not choose to travel, but are forced out of their homes and into dangerous situations)
The Power – Feminism, meet fiction. Read it.
Language of Miracles – Another perspective on living as an immigrant in America, this time from the perspective of a kid born to immigrant parents who only want the best for their family, and how he struggles to find his place between his parent’s beliefs and his own experience.
Beach Reads:
A good bunch of these came from a weird Harlan Coben streak that happened while I was in Southeast Asia. I’m a sucker for a psych thriller!
Girl in Snow – A girl dies, whodunit?
In a Deep, Dark Wood – Written by the same author as Woman in Cabin 10, another ‘girl dies, who did it’ that you should DEFINITELY read before it becomes a movie next year.
Girls of Glass – A little girl dies… who did it? This time with a hint of ‘Florida Man’ and southern corruption.
What You Did – Trigger warning, a girl is raped. Who did it?
The Harlan Coben Novels:
All that you need to know is that they’re all the same. Cops, FBI, murder, someone got framed… but they’re so good.
Professional Development:
Unqualified – Sure, Anna Faris counts as a development book! Funny, quick read. Probably perfect if you’re in college and looking for cheap inspiration.
Happiness Advantage – Gift this one to your boss, or your young professional friends. Or your old professional friends. Or yourself.
Girl, Wash Your Face – The Rachel Hollis classic. She’s no psychologist, but she did, in fact, get me to wash my face.
Ten Years a Nomad – Written by the OG of travel blogging, this book is a really long story about how he didn’t find a wife out on the road… and other lessons within that. The lessons were great, but he really seemed to need to let readers know that he is straight and got laid at least a few times in 10 years.
Bottom of the Barrel: Books that I only read because they were what was available in English at my hostel.
If you choose to read any of these, I’m judging you.
A Quick Analysis
- 6 are by non-white authors
- 5 are by non-western authors
- 5 are about things that happen outside of the western hemisphere
What books are on your 2020 must-read list? Drop them below!