I’m only 9 books away from my 2020 goal of reading 30 books before the end of the year! I was going to write this little update when I had 10 left, because milestones make more sense in 5’s or 10’s, but I’m just an overachiever I guess (I’m not, that was sarcasm). Check out what I’ve read this year here.

Much of this goal stems from my MFA program because, obviously, I have to read a certain number of books for school. However, I’m only required to read 2 books per packet (assignment), and I wanted to challenge myself to do more. I haven’t always succeeded – in fact, my last packet was due a few weeks ago and I only submitted 2 book annotations. But overall, I’m so excited to be only 9 books away from my goal!

This year has been full of a lot of changes for me, all culminating into my big move across a few states. It’s still crazy to think about, the fact that I no longer live in my home state. And I’ve been so happy with the move to TN that every day feels like a mini-vacation, like I’m still on a fun trip to see Tucker and his family and prance around in Chattanooga – except, I don’t have to drive 10 hours the next Monday morning. Instead, I can drive 15 minutes down the mountain and see him tomorrow.

With all the changes, I was a little discouraged about my reading list progress. It’s hard to find time to read when I’m struggling to find a place to live and work, but now that I’ve been settled for about a month now, finishing my goal by December 31st sounds easy. Especially because I already have those last 9 books picked out. They’re crowding my bedside table, but that’s okay.

Anyway, now that I’m this far into the year and into my reading goal, I figured I’d tell you which books were my favorite and which ones I didn’t love. My favorites list might look familiar, because I’ve been writing book reviews on this blog and I tend to only write positive reviews – ergo, you’ll only see the books I loved. Here are my top three, my bottom three, and some honorable mentions that found their way somewhere in the middle.

Top 3 Books I’ve Read This Year

1.       Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez by Richard Rodriguez

I talk about this book a lot. It’s my go-to answer when someone asks for my favorite book. I technically do have a favorite book, a fiction book called Saint by Ted Dekker, but I’ll admit it’s not a fabulous work of excellent writing or anything – it’s sentimental. So my answer to the question changes on what book I’ve recently read that still takes up space, rent-free, in my mind. And since about January or February, it’s been Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez. I don’t want to give too much away because I truly believe everyone should read this book, especially if you have opinions on Affirmative Action and the concepts of race-baiting and other identity politics. As a Mexican-American, Rodriguez takes an unexpected stance – he’s not a fan of Affirmative Action and struggles with the rewards it has afforded him. He worries about the loss of merit as a factor in competition, going so far as to question whether his success is actually based in his race, rather than his hard work. Overall, it’s a very compelling read. (And I LOVED his use of parenthesis – he uses them like little asides, little whispers to the reader, like he’s telling me a secret that he hasn’t afforded anyone else who might read the story. It’s a fascinating narration technique that I really enjoyed.) You can purchase this book here.

2.       Holy the Firm by Annie Dillard

I’ve read this book once before, and I’ll be reading it again in January or February for school. It’s on the required reading list for our coming residency (a time where the entire program meets for in-person classes, writing workshops, and general fun-having), but I’d read it just because I love it. (And because it’s short 😉.) She discusses a horrible plane crash and the burning of Julian of Norwich, all while struggling with and standing in awe of the goodness of God. It is, in a word, profound. My favorite thing about Dillard’s writing, across all her books and essays I’ve read so far, is her ability to make ordinary things sacred and holy. She finds the goodness of God everywhere, and her descriptions of that impossible goodness are always tangible and surprising. And like I said, it’s super short, so I highly recommend it. Find Dillard’s book here.

3.       The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

I read this book in one night, something I rarely do. Actually, that entire weekend was one of the most productive weekends I’ve ever had (I read 3 books and wrote 3 annotations) and I’m annoyed I can’t seem to muster all that motivation every weekend. Anyway, this book was the first I read at the top of the weekend and I owe all my inspiration for the rest of the weekend to its brilliance. At the risk of spoiling it for you, Didion tragically and unexpectedly looses her husband one night (don’t worry, that much is made clear in the synopsis on the back). She spends the following year processing through her grief, a process that tinges on her own “magical thinking,” that her husband may one day miraculously appear in their home, alive and well again. It is heartbreaking and beautiful and surprisingly very well-researched. She uses scientific studies, her relationship with her daughter, her relationship to her own writing, and her memories of the moment she lost her husband to piece together and then live through her own grieving process. I highly recommend The Year of Magical Thinking. I found Didion’s book here.

As for my bottom 3 books, I don’t want to trash them in anyway. I can be a harsh critic, but the list below doesn’t mean I hated these books – they just weren’t my favorite. If you really want to know why they ended up so low on my list, I’d rather talk directly with anyone curious than spew negatives while hiding behind a screen of my own words. No commentary here – just a list of my least favorites from the year. 😉

Bottom 3 Books I’ve Read This Year

1.       The Boys of My Youth by Jo Ann Beard

2.       Always Another Country by Sisonke Msimang

3.       My Victorians by Robert Clark

As for my honorable mentions, the first two I read about a year ago for another class in undergrad and I loved them so much (especially in tension with one another) that I read them again for the MFA program and wrote a critical paper comparing and contrasting their use of liturgical language to achieve two very different ends. The latter two books are honorable mentions mostly because of their narration techniques. I am always interested in the many different ways a story can be told, and thus changed, based on what narration the author chooses. These last two were vastly different in their narration techniques, but both come highly recommended by me.  

Honorable Mentions

1.       The Morning Watch by James Agee

2.      Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathaniel West

3.      As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

4.      Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston

Welp, there’s my progress so far! Now I’ve got to go, I have 9 books to read before December 31st. Wish me luck!