Favorite Book Roundup, Part II
Here I am again, with the second round of books I particularly enjoyed in 2020. My reading has taken a back seat in the past couple of weeks to holiday preparations, but I’m excited about this week’s list, since these are the ones I read in the second half of the year and I found some real gems.
Nonfiction:
1. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents – Isabel Wilkerson. We often like to pretend there’s no such thing as caste in the U.S., but Wilkerson brilliantly explains why that is a lie, and how our often-unspoken caste system reverberates through all levels and aspects of society in terms of who has relative power and privilege and who does not. She doesn’t just focus on the U.S., but looks at historical and international caste systems as well. A glance at the reviews on Amazon will tell you how polarizing this is, but it’s a fascinating book.
2. Welcoming the Unwelcome – Pema Chodron. This is another profound book from Ani Pema, with a particularly apt theme for this year. She talks about the need to move beyond polarization to find common ground, and how we can learn to relax into feelings of discomfort or emptiness, and use challenges as a path to spiritual growth. As always, her advice is simple, but not easy!
3. The Anatomy of Story – John Truby. I read a lot of books about the craft of writing, and few give me pause any more since I’ve heard a lot of it before. Truby really digs into storytelling, with many examples of what he is talking about in terms of premise, designing principle, the psychological flaw vs. the moral flaw, uses of symbolism, etc. His approach to plot goes beyond the three act structure to focus on moments of revelations, which allow the story to have an organic cause-and-effect trajectory rather than a cookie-cutter approach taken by many other books. It’s dense, and covers a lot, and writers may find it more useful after a draft than before (it seems a bit overwhelming to think of all the aspects he covers before you write a word).
4. Creative Calling: Establish a daily practice, infuse your world with meaning, and succeed in work + life – Chase Jarvis. A photographer and the CEO of CreativeLive, Jarvis has a lot to say about creativity and its crucial place in our lives. The word “create” is the key here; he recommends doing over waiting until the stars are aligned to make something happen and live your creative dreams. Very readable and inspirational.
5. Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything – B.J. Fogg. No matter what you want to do in your life, Fogg promises that you are capable of it – as long as you start small. I’ve long been a proponent of kaizenand small actions making a big impact, but Fogg has done the research to prove it. Focusing on the positive rather than the negative, he leads the reader through his eminently doable process.
Fiction:
1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman. This is one of Gaiman’s best, in my opinion, a haunting look at the power of imagination and memory, as a story of a man’s magical childhood experiences as he reminisces after a parent’s funeral. Where do memory, truth, reality, and magic come together? What stories do we tell ourselves, and what do we believe?
2. Wake of Vultures – Lila Bowen. This was my first book by Lila Bowen (pen name of Delilah Dawson) and it drew me in immediately. This is a masterclass in how to write character. Not just through voice and interiority, but also as inclusive: a Black/Native American, non-cis, bisexual badass. And it’s a fun, rollicking but also adult-themed read – a “high YA.” It’s the first in a series, and I can’t wait to read the rest.
3. Opium and Absinthe – Lily Kang. Another great character study, although very different! This story follows a wealthy young woman in early-20th century New York City, who dreams of escaping her stifling family and becoming a newspaper reporter. When her sister is murdered, apparently by a vampire, she befriends an immigrant newsboy to find out the truth. Also timely in that it depicts the early “opioid crisis” of that time, before anyone knew much about the dangers.
4. Every Body Looking – Candice Iloh. A debut novel that was a finalist for the national Book Award, this novel in verse captures the challenges of the daughter of a Black American mother and Nigerian father headed to an HBCU. Ada navigates her parents’ expectations, her ambition as a dancer, and exploration of her own sexuality. Powerful and lyrical story of a girl claiming her own life and agency.
5. We Are Not Free – Traci Chee. Another National Book Award Finalist, this is a story told from the multiple points of view of a group of young Japanese teens who have grown up together in San Francisco, and are sent with their families to interment camps during WWII. The first book I’ve ever read that has 14 points of view! Great dialogue, humor, emotion – the boys’ stories really come together to show what it was like to be a young Japanese man in that period.
So that’s my reading for this year (so far!). Have you read any of them? Do you have any suggestions for me for 2021? Let me know in the comments!
